Inside the true story of 1899 that the creators say the Netflix show is based on

1899 is the latest mysterious and often scary Netflix series that’s shot into the top 10 of the streaming service, thanks to its intriguing premise and spooky horror vibes. 1899 is set on a migrant ship that is heading across the Atlantic chasing the American Dream but comes into trouble when it finds another ship that’s been missing for the last four months. But is 1899 on Netflix based on a true story? Here’s everything the creators have said about the story behind the show!

1899 was inspired by Brexit

1899 was created by the minds behind German Netflix hit Dark, Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar – and the two creators have shared how the biggest influences behind 1899 were the European migrant crisis and Brexit.  Speaking to Deadline Hollywood, Friese said: “The whole European angle was very important for us, not only story-wise but also the way we were going to produce it.

“It really had to be a European collaboration, not just cast but also crew. We felt that with the past years of Europe being on the decline, we wanted to give a counterpoint to Brexit, and to nationalism rising in different countries, to go back to that idea of Europe and Europeans working and creating together.

“Being true to the cultures and the languages was really important, we never wanted to have characters from different countries but everyone speaks English. We wanted to explore this heart of Europe, where everyone comes from somewhere else and speaks a different language, and language defines so much of your culture and your behaviour.”

1899 was first announced during the European migrant crisis of 2015, where people were fleeing and seeking asylum from conflict in their home countries. 1899 is made up of a multinational cast and crew, and all eight episodes are fully multilingual.

Friese went on to say: “We had a reading, partly on Zoom, partly with actors who are here [in Germany], and it was such an amazing experience getting to hear everyone speak in their native language. Going from Spanish, to French, to Polish and have it all come together. I hope it’s going to make English-speaking people learn and love different languages as well.”

Find out more about the true story by watching 1899, streaming on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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