Barrandov head of coproduction and development Lubomir Konecny and scripterwriter Jan Novak introduced the project at the Industry section of the Karlovy Vary IFF on 7 July 2016.

The film, which will be based on a new biography to be released at Karlovy Vary on 8 July, is now in development with a first draft expected in October. Completion and release will be in 2018/2019.

Konecny said he expects the film to be a large budget film, which by Czech standards would be in the range of 4 m EUR. Barrandov will most likely be looking for a European director as well as European coproducers for the project. The film covers the period of 1930 to the 1960’s when Havel died in Germany of an apparent suicide. Konecny mentioned Germany as an obvious partner, since some of the film takes place there.

The multi-layered story will cover the double life of Havel, who was a gay man married to a lesbian, set against the period of the golden age of the first Czechoslovak Republic, WWII and Havel’s dilemma in accommodating the Nazis in order not to lose complete control of his studio, and the coming of communism.

Konecny told FNE he expects Barrandov to originate more films as the main producer. The studio now has two other scripts written and planned for production. Barrandov is looking for stories that will have international interest and can become international coproductions.