Apple TV+ sci-fi epic Foundation slated to shoot in Prague this summer

The third season of the Apple TV+ sci-fi series Foundation will be filmed at Prague Studios until the end of August, the Association of Audiovisual Producers (APA) has confirmed. Filmmakers plan to spend up to CZK 1 billion in Czechia on producing the latest series.

"Filmmakers chose the Czech Republic thanks to its quality facilities, skilled film professions, and state incentives," according to the APA. Production for the third series was previously delayed by the U.S. film industry’s strike action last year. 

Foundation features an ensemble cast led by Lee Pace and Jared Harris. It is based on a futuristic Galactic Empire and tracks its rise and fall. The saga follows a group of individuals who use their knowledge of psychology and mathematics to predict and mold the empire’s future.

The second season of the science fiction series, based on the eponymous series of novels by American author Isaac Asimov, was also filmed in Prague, helping generate CZK 2.5 billion and creating 4,000 jobs. Filming for the second season took just 74 days, but preparatory work lasted over a year.

Jindřich Guttner of Prague Studios says that the company has leased seven studios as well as all offices, workshops, and warehouses to the series directors until late summer. Guttner explains that this could yet be extended.

APA chairman Vratislav Šlajer remarked that Czechia’s generous rewards system for filmmakers – giving them a chance to recover up to one-fifth of their total costs – incentivizes the best producers and directors to film in Czechia. “We need to continue to pay attention to this to ensure that the Czech Republic does not lose the attention of foreign filmmakers," he added.

Czechia has become a popular filming destination for streaming platforms, including Apple TV+'s spy thriller mini-series Little Drummer Girl (2018), season 1 of Amazon’s Wheel of Time (2019), and Carnival Row (2018-2021). Disney+’s Anne Frank project, A Small Light (2023), was filmed in Amsterdam, Prague, and other Czech cities.