The BBC’s acclaimed spy thriller “The Night Manager” is returning for a second season after an eight-year break, with Colombia serving as the primary filming location for the Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman series.
More than 75% of the new season’s story takes place in Colombia, according to Barry Ryan, head of production at Ink Factory, which produced the original series and will handle the upcoming second and third seasons. The production team drew inspiration from Colombia’s peace process and historical conflict involving young soldiers to shape the narrative.
Series creator-writer David Farr completely rewrote the story beyond John le Carré’s original novel after conducting a “writing recce” in Colombia with executive producer Tessa Inkelaar. “I did not tread lightly into extending ‘The Night Manager’ beyond the original book, but an idea came to me a couple of years ago which felt truthful to that unique world of dark corners and shady identities,” Farr said in previous interviews.
The production partnered with AG Studios, run by Rodrigo Guerrero, for the Colombian shoot. Ryan praised Guerrero’s approach, saying: “I really loved Rodrigo’s approach to production, but also how he dealt with people, the way that he looked after his crew. He’s really an amazing ambassador for the country.”
Following three weeks of filming in London, the production moved to Colombia with a crew of nearly 300, mostly Colombian professionals. They filmed at locations including a villa in Girardot (four hours from Bogotá), the Caribbean port city of Cartagena, and MedellÃn in the Andes mountains.
Ryan was particularly impressed by MedellÃn, describing the experience of emerging from a tunnel to see the city nestled in a “bowl” as unlike anywhere else in the world. The production incorporated the city’s annual flower festival and featured squares with sculptures by renowned local artist Fernando Botero.
The nearly five-week Colombian shoot in August 2024 was followed by filming in Spain’s Canary Islands and Barcelona, chosen partly for their visual similarities to Cartagena and available production incentives.
Colombia’s CINA incentive program, offering a 35% transferable tax credit for qualifying foreign productions, was a key factor in the location decision. The program, administered by Proimagenes, has significantly boosted Colombia’s audiovisual industry.
The production faced challenges with Colombia’s climate, particularly in Cartagena. “On our first day of filming, our DoP wanted to film the light coming into this hotel but despite being indoors, the humidity was 100% and the temperature was in the 50s, we were all sweaty,” Ryan recalled.
The Latino cast includes Diego Calva (“Babylon,” “Narcos: Mexico”) and Emmy-nominated Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones & The Six”), alongside returning stars Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine and Colman as spy boss Angela Burr. It remains unclear whether Hugh Laurie’s arms dealer character from Season 1 will appear.
Season 3 will not be filmed in Colombia, though Ryan hinted at references to the country. The series will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on Amazon Prime Video internationally.
