Is 1899 connected to Dark? We explore the possible connection and conclude whether there is a relationship between both Netflix series.
Fans of the Netflix series Dark were eager to see what the creators of the show were going to present next, and they have been rewarded with 1899. Dark was a great success for the platform, and the show created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese was the first German-language show that the platform ran. Mixing science fiction and with an exciting action thriller, Dark ran for three series between 2017 and 2020 and managed to garner a huge following. Missing children, time travel, dark secrets, and a hidden conspiracy were all elements in Dark, culminating in parallel universes and an apocalypse. So after all that, viewers were excited to see what the new series 1899 was, and speculation was running high that the series might be a follow-up to Dark.
What inspired Netflix’s 1899?
The scene is set in 1899 on board a cross-Atlantic ship that is populated by a cast of characters that have their own dark and secret reasons for leaving Europe and heading across the pond. Previously though, another ship called The Prometheus has vanished without a trace, but mysteriously our cast starts to receive messages from The Prometheus, and the stage is set for the story to unfold.
Disappearing ships always have part of the mythology of travel, and you cannot help but think of tales from The Bermuda Triangle, a famous area never too specifically mapped out in the North Atlantic. There have been stories of missing ships, and airplanes, in the area, also known as The Devil’s Triangle. This is an obvious inspiration for 1899, but there may be other layers behind the story too. The names of the boats in 1899 seem to hail from Greek mythology, The Prometheus and The Kerberos, so there may be some ideas mixed in from there. An interview with Jantje Friese in The Hollywood Reporter reveals that an old photograph the writers saw of a man with a hammer and a bloody shirt on top of an old boat was one of the sparks that also began the inspiration for the new show. It is also worth noting that the refugee crisis across Europe also plays into the narrative of the show.
Is 1899 an animated series?
No, 1899 is a live-action show from Netflix and has eight episodes in its first season. The cast includes Emily Beecham, whom you might know from the Coen brothers’ film Hail, Caeser!, and fans of Spanish film may be pleased to see Miguel Bernardeau on screen here too.
Is 1899 connected to Dark?
After Dark finished its run in 2020, there was always speculation that there could be a fourth series, but the show was satisfyingly tied up, so it did seem unlikely. However, when 1899 was announced, fans did wonder if there would be some connection with Dark. The time travel aspect of Dark would make a connection possible, but it seems that this is definitely a different story, with a different premise and a whole ensemble cast of new characters. Perhaps tone-wise, there will be similarities in the approach, and there is no doubt that at the heart of the story, there is a mystery to unfold, but it looks like this is a whole new universe for viewers to explore.
What do the creators say about 1899 and its connection to Dark?
It would seem that the showrunners expected fans to try and connect the dots between the two shows, so an official statement from the team pretty much put the rumor to rest. They said, “We don’t repeat ourselves, we really hate that,” which sounds as if they really did not want to re-tread steps from their previous show. They also said, ” Knowing that we did Dark, everyone can be assured that this is going to be something weird and wild and crazy.”
