How beautiful Arkanar has become: filming of the series "Hard to Be a God" has wrapped.

      28 October 2025 16:18 Culture and Leisure

      Filming has wrapped on the eight-episode action drama Hard to Be a God (18+), based on the eponymous novella by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, for the online cinema Wink.ru (a joint venture of Rostelecom and NMG) and the NTV channel. Production is handled by NMG Studio and Team Films with the support of the Internet Development Institute (ANO "IRI"). The creators of the series have revealed the project's full cast for the first time.

      This is the first TV series based on the cult work of the Soviet science fiction writers. In the director’s chair is Dmitry Tyurin (Trigger (18+), Epidemic (18+), Spoiler (18+), Magomaev (18+)). The series will join the Wink Originals lineup (A Guy’s Word. Blood on the Asphalt (18+), Combination (16+), Fisher (18+), Lilies. Such Tender Love (18+), Ballet (18+), Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. Everything Is Just Beginning (16+), and others). The project’s producers are Fyodor Bondarchuk, Dmitry Tabarchuk, Timur Weinstein, and Teymur Jafarov; showrunners are Teymur Jafarov and Andrey Zolotarev.

      In the distant future, Earthlings help less developed civilizations overcome difficult stages of evolution. Anton, an employee of the Institute of History, travels to medieval Arkanar to save scientists capable of advancing evolution. He must take on the identity of Don Rumata Estorsky — a wealthy aristocrat who loves fighting, drinking, and women. The main rule of the progressors is not to interfere directly with the natural course of history, instead providing targeted help to the few enlighteners to prevent their deaths. But Anton also has a personal interest he has hidden from the institute. Somewhere here, in Arkanar, his father disappeared without a trace…

      It was previously announced that the role of Rumata in the series is played by Serbian actor Aleksandar Radojičić (Russian audiences know him from the film Balkan Line). Sergey Bezrukov plays Kondor. The main cast includes Viktoria Isakova, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Nikita Kologrivyy, Fyodor Lavrov, Vladimir Yumatov, Nikolay Kozak, Nina Senikar, Irina Pautova, Lev Zulkarnaev, Ravshana Kurkova, Viktor Dobronravov, Artemiy Milgram, Ivan Agapov, Maria Denisova, Alexander Demidov, Boris Zverev, Konstantin Denisov, Daniil Kiselev, Yana Sekste, Rano Kubaeva, Kamilla Valiullina, Alexander Mizev and other actors.

      Filming of Hard to Be a God took place in Iran and Moscow, including on the territory of the MosKino film park. On 6.5 hectares, unique sets were built over five months that, according to the artistic concept, combine the architecture of medieval Europe and the East. More than 600 builders, engineers, artists, sculptors and decorators were involved in the creation. The complex includes 48 structures forming a full-fledged city for filming. Among them are Kondor’s Palace with an operational pool, an aqueduct 14 meters high and over 30 meters long, and a huge water area of 1,200 square meters allowing underwater shooting and complex stunt work. A central sculpture, "Warrior on a Puma," 17 meters tall and weighing more than 20 tons, was also erected on the site.

      Exclusive footage of the unique sets built specifically for the production is available on the Wink.ru online cinema blog.

      About the series Hard to Be a God (18+)

      Production: NMG Studio and Team Films with the support of the Internet Development Institute (ANO "IRI")

      Genre: drama, adventure

      Episodes: 8

      Online cinema: Wink.ru

      TV channel: NTV

      Director: Dmitry Tyurin

      Director of Photography: Dmitry Karnachik

      Screenwriter: Andrey Zolotarev

      Producers (NMG Studio): Fyodor Bondarchuk, Dmitry Tabarchuk

      Producers (Wink.ru): Anton Volodkin, Alexander Kosarim

      Producer (Team Films): Teymur Jafarov

      Producer (NTV): Timur Weinstein

      Production Designer: Grigory Pushkin

      Costume Designer: Varya Avdyushko

      Makeup Artist: Masha Antonchik

      Photo provided by PJSC "Rostelecom".

      Advertisement. PJSC "Rostelecom" rt.ru

      NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay informed about major events, exclusive materials and timely information.

      Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is required. This resource may contain 18+ material.