BBC's McMafia to film in Croatia

The BBC’s popular crime TV series, McMafia, will film in Croatia this autumn, including Zagreb and coastal locations.

The production will be returning to Croatia, having partly shot there for the first season. The country was used to double for several different locations, including Zagreb for Prague, Dubrava Clinical Hospital for a Russian hospital, the Johann Frank nightclub for a club in Tel Aviv, and the island of Prvic doubled for the Mojave desert.

Exact shooting locations are yet to be confirmed for the second series. But local outfit MP Film Production will again support the film’s producers, AMC, the BBC and Cuba Pictures, who are applying for Croatia’s enticing cash rebates.

Last year, Croatian parliament approved an increase in incentives for international productions from 20% to 25%, and in regions with below average development, cash rebates were increased to 30%.

Created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins, McMafia focuses on the breaking-bad journey of London based financier Alex Godman (James Norton), son of a Russian mafia boss.

Croatia has also recently played host to Amazon Studios and Endgame Entertainment’s romantic drama Bliss, starring Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek. The film, directed by Mike Cahill, was shooting in Split last month. 

Previously, in April and May this year, Hayek also spent time in Rovinj, Rijeka and Zagreb for the filming of The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, with Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds.