– A bloodstained Franz Kafka wakes up in Prague in 1908 as the prime suspect in a ritual murder in an upcoming miniseries merging historical fiction, existential dread and crime storytelling
Director Peter Bebjak (© Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary)
After Agnieszka Holland’s unconventional biopic, Franz, about the influential writer Franz Kafka, another project is set to bring the author to our screens, this time in episodic form. Becoming Kafka, a mystery-thriller miniseries, is being developed by Slovak filmmaker Peter Bebjak (The Line, The Auschwitz Report, Duchoň), one of the most prolific Slovak directors working across both cinema and television. Bebjak, whose body of work moves fluently between genre, historical material and prestige drama, is attached to direct the series, which has been written by Jakub Režný, who wrote the award-winning TV film Dukla 61 and the miniseries By-Product and Border.
Set in Prague in 1908, Becoming Kafka opens with Kafka waking up with no memory of the previous night and bloodstains on his clothes. Two children have disappeared: a boy is found ritually murdered, while his sister is missing. As accusations of ritual murder begin to spread and anti-Semitic unrest grips the city, the young Kafka becomes the prime suspect in a crime he didn’t commit. In order to prove his innocence and save the surviving girl, he joins forces with his sister, Ottla, and an unconventional detective who uses modern investigative methods.
The story unfolds against the backdrop of Prague’s disappearing ghetto, combining a detective plot with existential motifs associated with Kafka’s later literary universe. Režný frames the protagonist as a man trapped between competing pressures: an anti-Semitic politician eager to offer him to the mob as a scapegoat, a Jewish community suspicious of him as an apostate, and a city increasingly governed by paranoia, fear and political manipulation. As the bodies pile up, Kafka must not only uncover the real murderer but also confront the possibility that the world around him, or his own mind, is falling apart. The miniseries will combine historical fiction with a fast-paced mystery structure, using the thriller format to explore anti-Semitism, authoritarianism, worker exploitation and the persecution of vulnerable communities.
Produced by Rastislav Šesták of D.N.A. Production, the project is currently planned as “a six-part miniseries,” with episodes expected to run for more than 50 minutes. “The anticipated shooting date is 2028,” Šesták informed Cineuropa, adding that the release date is yet to be set. Although conceived as a miniseries, the project isn’t necessarily closed-ended: “It is not a closed miniseries. We are considering the possibility of a continuation.” Šesták also confirmed that the project is being positioned as one of the most ambitious Oneplay/Voyo Originals to date. Oneplay serves the Czech market, while Voyo targets Slovak audiences. “Yes, in terms of budget, as well as in the sense of an event […] Oneplay would also like to realise this project as an international co-production, with an overlap into foreign markets.” The producers are currently looking for streamers, broadcasters, distributors, sales agents and co-producers. A previous Oneplay/Voyo miniseries with international exposure was Monyová, which was introduced at the Berlinale Series Market (see the news).
Becoming Kafka is produced by Rastislav Šesták of D.N.A. Production and Iva K Jestřábová for Oneplay/TV Nova. The project was presented at the Seriencamp Co-Production Pitch and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event – PÖFF. International sales are being handled by Peter Chalupa of CME.
