Where was The Letter for the King shot? Discover New Zealand’s mountains, Czechia’s castles, and a scene-stealing horse in this Netflix fantasy series.
The plot: Tiuri (Amir Wilson) is a 16-year-old squire who literally fails his knighthood test by helping a stranger. Solid life choices. A dying knight shoves a letter into his hands, whispers, “Don’t read it, just run,” and then expires dramatically.
Now Tiuri must cross an entire kingdom while being hunted by Prince Viridian (Gijs Blom), a villain who eats magic like a toddler eats glue sticks.
Along the way, he picks up Lavinia (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis – yes, Andy Serkis‘s daughter), a group of squires who start as rivals and end as found-family tropes, and a white horse with better screen presence than half the cast.
Production was heavily subsidized by the Czech Film Fund’s 20% rebate scheme alongside New Zealand’s Screen Production Grant. Basically, two countries paid Netflix to film there because fantasy tourism is real and profitable.
How does The Letter for the King book differ from the series? The 2020 Netflix series adapts Tonke Dragt‘s classic 1962 Dutch children’s novel. But the book had zero magic.
Netflix added an entire prophecy system, magical bloodlines, and a villain who literally drains shamans like a magical vampire. In the book, Lavinia is a minor character who gives Tiuri armor and then disappears. In the show, she defeats the final boss.
What were the only things the show kept from the book? The letter. The king. And the running. Oh, so much running.
Table of Contents
🐎 The Horse That Stole the Show
Let’s talk about Ardanwen, the white horse. According to cast interviews, this animal repeatedly executed complex marks on the first take. Actors joked that the most professional performer on set had four legs and a hay budget.
To prepare for filming, the young cast had to undergo a rigorous multi-week “boot camp” focused on sword fighting, medieval etiquette, and extensive horse-riding lessons. Ardanwen the horse did not attend. He already knew everything.
Ardanwen never forgot lines, never complained about 4 a.m. call times, and definitely never asked for a trailer upgrade. When asked who the best actor was, multiple cast members pointed at the horse.
One reportedly said, “He’s a better actor than me. I’m not even mad. I’m impressed.” That actually happened in interviews.
📜 The Letter for the King Filming Locations
So where did they film this globe-trotting, prophecy-filled, magic-blasting mess? Grab your sword (or your GPS), because the answer involves two continents, six castles, and one horse that took direction better than anyone.
🗺️ Queenstown & Central Otago, New Zealand
When you need sweeping terrain that screams “northern kingdom,” you call New Zealand. The production team at FilmWave deliberately chose the exact same South Island landscapes that Peter Jackson used for The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit.
Because nothing says “epic fantasy” like a mountain range that’s already been in three Oscar-winning movies. The young cast reportedly spent their downtime trying to spot where Aragorn chased the Uruk-hai. One crew member joked that the B-roll was labeled “LOTR leftovers.”
What was filmed here:
- Queenstown & Central Otago: Rugged paths, river crossings, snow-capped peaks. Tiuri runs scared through beautiful scenery.
- Auckland backdrops: Lower-altitude valleys and coastal segments – less running, slightly more breathing.
🏰 The Castles of Czechia
If New Zealand handled the running through fields scenes, Czechia handled the running through dungeons scenes. The production took place in 2019, before anyone knew the world would shut down and make location shooting a distant memory.
🏰 Kost Castle, Northern Bohemia
Kost Castle is a Gothic fortress so uniquely positioned in a low-ground valley that it looks naturally defensive. It’s not a fairy-tale castle that screams “rescue me.” It’s a grumpy, squat, “try to siege me, I dare you” kind of castle.
In the show, it became Dagonaut Castle‘s interiors and training grounds, where Tiuri learns that helping people gets you chased by assassins for six episodes straight – which, let’s be honest, is still a better workout plan than CrossFit.
The castle has also served as the exterior of the General Castle in Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm (2005) and as a key location for the Norwegian fantasy, The Christmas King (2015). Because apparently, once you’ve got bone-hard walls, everyone wants to film there.
Historians suggest an even older stronghold might have been here in the 13th century, but the current castle was founded before 1349 by Beneš of Vartemberk and finished by his sons, because nothing says “family bonding” like building an impenetrable rock pile.
Legend has it that the castle earned its name “Kost” (Czech for “bone”) after the famed Hussite general Jan Žižka failed to capture it and grumbled that its walls were as hard as a dog’s bone. He was probably just hungry.
🏰 Bouzov Castle, Moravia
Bouzov Castle is a fairy-tale romanesque castle with its swooping spires, and a working drawbridge that looks like it was ripped straight from a storybook.
Built in the early 14th century, it was passed around like a hot potato until the Teutonic Knights snagged it in 1696 and held on until 1939 (they really liked the drawbridge).
In the show, it became the royal town’s exteriors with political intrigue and people whispering dramatically near windows. It’s the kind of castle that makes you say, “That’s where the king lives,” right before someone stabs you.
Bouzov Castle has also starred in Arabela, Fantaghirò, and The Princess and the Scribe. It’s so picture-perfect that local wedding photographers probably have a dedicated parking spot. Nothing says “eternal love” like a backdrop that survived sieges, knights, and terrible royal haircuts.
🏰 Pernštejn Castle
Pernštejn Castle has an aggressive Gothic aesthetic – sharp angles, narrow windows, and a “visitors? no thanks” vibe.
First mentioned in 1285, it was built on a rock so steep that stone literally pokes through the second floor. The name means “Bear Rock,” which fits – it has the charm of a grumpy hibernating bear.
The production filmed its dark corridors and terrifying prison cells, where Tiuri definitely asked “how did I get here?” four times an episode. These hallways capture the energy of a squire who made terrible life choices.
Hollywood loves Pernštejn‘s gloom. It’s been a vampire lair in two Nosferatu films, Dracula’s fortress in Van Helsing, and medieval France in Joan of Arc. Nothing says “eternal evil” like 13th-century Moravian masonry.
🏰 Křivoklát Castle
Křivoklát Castle is another historic heavy hitter that provided more interior castle and grand hall sequences – more stone walls, more torches, more ominous shadows, same running – because apparently one Gothic castle wasn’t enough for Netflix’s art department.
Křivoklát dates back to the 12th century, which means it was already ancient when most other castles were still a twinkle in a medieval architect’s eye. It started as a royal hunting lodge – basically a medieval “we should build a weekend getaway here.”
It soon became a favorite of Czech kings; Charles IV grew up here and even endured house arrest. When not hosting royalty, the castle doubled as a feared prison. It’s also been a favorite filming location for many Czech fairy tales, including The Third Prince and The Three Veterans.
Notable guests included alchemist Edward Kelley (whose bedsheet-rope escape attempt flopped) and Bishop Jan Augusta. A series of fires kept things lively until a major blaze in 1826 forced a Neo-Gothic rebuild by the Fürstenberg family.
🏰 Budyně nad Ohří
Budyně nad Ohří was used for the wet, cold, dramatic, and very photogenic moat castle scenes. You know the one – there’s water, there’s walls, there’s a general sense of “please don’t drop me in there.”
Filming around water is always a nightmare for the crew (reflections, safety, wet shoes), but it looks fantastic on camera. The cast probably complained. The horse, as always, did not.
Budyně nad Ohří was first mentioned in 1173. The castle was built from wood – great for bonfires, bad for longevity. King Ottokar I wisely rebuilt it in stone in the early 13th century.
The highlight? Janda’s Museum inside the castle, founded in the 1920s with travel donations and local oddities. Reopened in 1997, it’s a quirky attraction you won’t want to miss.
⛰️ Brdy Mountains
The Brdy Mountains are a densely forested highland southwest of Prague.
From 1925 until 2016, most of the area was a restricted military zone – first for the Czechoslovak army, then Nazi forces, then the Red Army. A century of live-fire exercises kept humans out, which paradoxically preserved one of Europe’s largest untouched forests.
The production used these woods for scenes of squires evading trackers: branches in faces, heavy breathing, “I can’t believe we’re lost again,” and one very calm horse. It’s the cinematic equivalent of “run into the scary woods – it’s safer than the road.”
When the military finally left in 2016, bomb squads cleared decades of unexploded souvenirs. So when the cast came crashing through with fake swords, they were among the first civilians allowed in for nearly a century.
🎬 Studio Locations & Soundstages
Not everything was mountaintops and moats. The production used studio facilities in both countries for interiors that didn’t require authentic 13th-century drafts.
Soundstages are where the magic happens – literally, in this case, because all the glowing prophecy visions were too bright to shoot in actual dark castles.
What was filmed here:
- Auckland studio facilities, New Zealand: Controlled interior scenes – no wind, no rain, no horses silently judging your acting choices.
- Prague soundstages, Czechia: Magical effect sequences and prophecy vision scenes – lots of glowing, lots of staring into the middle distance, and “can someone turn down the fan?”
❓ The Letter for the King FAQ
The Letter for the King cast?
Wondering who plays Lavinia in Letter for the King? Here’s the main cast:
- Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Lavinia
- Amir Wilson as Tiuri
- Gijs Blom as Prince Viridian
- Yorick van Wageningen as Jaro
- Jonah Lees as Foldo
- Jack Barton as Iona
- Nathanael Saleh as Piak
- Thaddeus O’Sullivan as Arman
- Islam Bouakkaz as Jussipo
What’s the gay ship in The Letter for the King?
Fans latched onto the chemistry between Tiuri and Prince Viridian. Enemies-to-lovers energy. Very intense staring. Lots of “I could kill you, but I won’t… yet.” The show doesn’t confirm anything romantically, but fanfiction exists. It always does.
Is there a kiss scene in The Letter for the King?
Yes. Tiuri and Lavinia share a kiss near the end. It’s fine. It’s sweet.
What’s the trailer song for The Letter for the King?
“Human” by Sevdaliza. Haunting, atmospheric, and exactly the kind of song that makes you think the show will be darker and more philosophical than it actually is. Marketing does that.
What’s the soundtrack like?
Composed by Brandon Campbell. Very orchestral. Very “you are on an epic quest” energy. Good for studying or pretending you’re delivering a letter to a king.
The Letter for the King parents’ guide?
Fantasy violence (sword fights, magic blasts, one very creepy scene where Viridian drains magic from a shaman). Frightening moments for younger kids (dark magic, villains, chase sequences). Fine for kids 10 and up who like running and prophecies and horses who steal the show.
The Letter for the King reviews?
Mixed. Critics liked the production design and the young cast. Fans of the book were split between “this is a betrayal” and “adaptations change things, get over it.” General audiences found it enjoyable, but forgettable. The horse received universal praise.
What is The Letter for the King DVD?
Not the Netflix series. The Letter for the King DVD is a Dutch production (with subtitles) set in the fairytale town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It’s based on the book and is a huge hit with Dutch fans.
📺 Where To Watch The Letter for the King
Because finding the show shouldn’t be as hard as delivering the letter.
- Netflix: The home of the show.
Now go forth, watch the show, and appreciate that every time Tiuri runs through a breathtaking valley, he’s technically jogging through Lord of the Rings tourism bait.
The landscape did the hard work. The horse came in second. And the magic? That was all Netflix making stuff up because the book didn’t have any.
Disclaimer: This fan-created article is provided for entertainment purposes only. We don’t guarantee the accuracy of any of these facts and don’t recommend making important life decisions based on them. All referenced titles, names, and related intellectual property are the property of their respective owners, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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