The Hungarian commercial television channel TV2 has announced that their new historical drama series Rise of the Raven, about 15th-century Hungarian military leader and statesman John Hunyadi, will debut on air on 8 March at 8pm local time. Two episodes will air back-to-back for the series debut.
John Hunyadi—or János Hunyadi, as he is known among Hungarian speakers—served as regent of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1446 to 1453, under King Ladislaus V, who was just a child at the time. Hunyadi was a key figure in fighting back against the Ottoman invasion of Europe in the 15th century.
As for the series, it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where it received a great reception. The series was created by Canadian Hungarian film producer Robert Lantos. A total of ten episodes were produced. According to Hungarian media reports, the total production budget was 22.5 billion HUF (around $58.5 million), making it the most expensive Hungarian TV series ever made.
Along with the announcement of the debut date, TV2 has also released the official trailer. A version of it with English subtitles has received quite a lot of attention on the social media platform X, garnering 6,300 likes, 845 retweets, and 172 comments in two days—which is quite notable for a Hungarian TV production.
Actor Gellért L Kádár stars in the role of John Hunyadi, and Vivien Rujder plays Erzsébet Szilágyi, his wife. Meanwhile, the role of Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire is played by Austrian actor Murathan Muslu. The script is based on the novel series Hunyadi by author Mór Bán. An official press release by the channel summarizes the plot of the series as such:
‘János Hunyadi—father of King Matthias, regent of Hungary—fights enemies both domestic and foreign to protect his country and Christian Europe from Ottoman invaders and secure his family’s place in the turbulent Hungarian politics of the time. Apart from the many intrigues, power-seeking, heroics and betrayals, there is, of course, a love story as well’.
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