Netflix filming Young Wallander series in Lithuania

The Netflix Original series Young Wallander is now filming in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, including in the residential district of Šeškinė.

Vilnius was chosen to double for Malmö thanks to the city’s film-friendly reputation and variety of locations, from moody, dark alleys and disused prisons to trendy restaurants. Šeškinė in the north of the city was built in the late 1970s by the Soviet regime.

“While trying to find Malmö in Vilnius, we scouted and debated several Vilnius districts,” said Jonas Špokas, the CEO of Baltic Locations and the supervising location manager for Young Wallander. “The director decided to go for Šeškinė based on how strong of an impression the surroundings of it made on the screen. To make it as immersive as possible, the scenes inside Wallander’s flat will be filmed in one of the flats in the district. A peek through the window provides the same view we are to witness in the crucial scenes happening outside. As a result, the viewer will be able to get immersed in the story more, as details like that add layers of realism.”  

Based on the best-selling books by Swedish author, Henning Mankell, Young Wallander follows the early career of the iconic detective character, Kurt Wallander.

It will be an English-language drama told over six serialized episodes, produced by Yellow Bird UK, a Banijay Group company, and the original producer of the successful BBC series Wallander.

Vilnius is proving a popular shooting location having hosted the hugely popular series Chernobyl and Catherine the Great.

“We are glad that filmmakers are starting to discover not only the Old Town but other areas of Vilnius, too,” said Jurate Pazikaitė, director of the Vilnius Film Office. “HBO and Sky found Chernobyl’s Pripyat in the Vilnius residential district of Fabijoniškės, while Netflix reimagined Vilnius University Botanical Garden as Tokyo in their Tokyo Trial. Another Netflix’s series, The Last Czars, found a home in Vilnius-located Pushkin Museum, among other locations. We are really pleased that Vilnius city’s diverse nature is capable of providing a backdrop for another hero’s story, as is the case with Young Wallander.”