Overview
- Constantin confirmed on Wednesday that it has stopped preproduction for the six‑episode series only weeks before an October shoot because the project became financially and logistically unworkable.
- Company statements differ but point to a short‑notice pullout by an overseas financing partner and unresolved casting and budget questions as immediate causes of the halt.
- The production had already built sets and technical infrastructure at the Hohenzollernfestung Wülzburg, which are now being taken down and put into storage in hopes they can be reused later.
- The series had an estimated budget near €20 million with regional public support of about €1.3 million, making the pause a costly setback for ARD and the local suppliers and crews involved.
- The stoppage comes as majority owner Highlight Communications reports large liabilities and has pledged 12.7 million Constantin shares to UBS, a development that raises refinancing and ownership questions that could affect future big German productions.