Rise of the Raven
Rise of the Raven a Hungarian–Austrian biographical historical television series about John Hunyadi that premiered in 2025. The production was based on the Hungarian novel series Hunyadi by Mór Bán, and the lead writer of the TV series was Balázs Lengyel.
Overview
The Rise of the Raven, is a ten-part historical TV series about John Hunyadi that debuted in 2024 in Cannes Film Festival. The series was made with over 600 international actors, and the production is unique in that the actors speak in their native languages, adding to its historical authenticity. In Rise of the Raven, John Hunyadi devotes his life to defending Europe against the Ottoman invasion. Amid political intrigue and betrayal, and conspiracies between noble families from Hungary, Austria, Italy, Poland, Serbia, his key allies are his wife Elizabeth, who fights alongside him, and Mara, his first love, who becomes Sultan Murad's concubine. As the Ottoman Empire mobilizes an enormous army to conquer Hungary, Hunyadi leads his smaller but formidable forces into battle, sealing a hard-fought victory at the Siege of Belgrade.Production
The Hunyadi series, produced with the support of the National [Film Institute Hungary|National Film Institute of Hungary], is executive produced by Canadian-Hungarian producer Robert Lantos, with episodes directed by Oscar nominee and Emmy Award winner Robert Dornhelm and Attila Szász, Orsi Nagypál, and Balázs Lengyel.The film is based Hunyadi novel series by Mór Bán. The Hunyadi TV show's multilingual approach – with dialogue in Hungarian, German, Turkish, Italian, Serbian, Czech, and more – enhances its historical authenticity by capturing the cultural diversity of 15th-century Europe. Its pan-European co-production model and grand scope have established Rise of the Raven as one of the most significant Hungarian-led television projects to date.
Producer Robert Lantos said in his statement, "The story of Hunyadi shows the journey of a village boy who became a fearless warrior and later the savior of Europe. Since childhood, I've been fascinated by the story of the noon bell, and with this series, we have the opportunity to share a story that's so familiar to us, Hungarians, with the entire world".
The project is co-financed by the National Film Institute of Hungary and Beta Film GmbH.
Release
The Rise of the Raven series debuted at MIPCOM Cannes on 22 October 2024.The TV2 Group acquired the broadcasting rights for Hungary and Slovenia. The Hungarian premiere of the series took place on 8 March 2025 on TV2, while the Slovenian premiere aired on 6 April 2025 on Planet TV.
The Austrian broadcasting rights were acquired by ORF, with the premiere aired on 21 April 2025.
The Hunyadi TV series arrived on Netflix on 20 April 2025, one day after the final episode aired in Hungary.
It was released on MagentaTV+ in Germany on 5 June 2025.
The Hunyadi series is set to premiere in the Primetime section of the Toronto Film Festival in 2025 and will be available on a Canadian CBC streaming platform starting in September. Following the prestigious festival premiere, CBC will bring the ten-part series to Canadian audiences on their streaming channel CBC GEM from 19 September 2025. Producer Robert Lantos, a Canadian of Hungarian descent, highlighted the cultural importance of the series being selected by TIFF in an official statement: "János Hunyadi was the savior of Europe in the 15th century, and now he begins his conquest of the Americas. TIFF rarely selects television series, and only those that are artistically exceptional, original, and impactful. As a Hungarian Canadian, I'm proud that Hunyadi will debut here in my home."
Reception
The series, which dramatizes the life of John Hunyadi and the historic Siege of Belgrade, originally premiered on TV2 in Hungary, where it broke multiple viewership records. Following its domestic run, it went on to become the most-watched series on Netflix Hungary.The Hunyadi series broke viewing records in Hungary, but has also become hugely popular among Austrian viewers. In Austria, the show performed strongly despite its notably one-sided and negative portrayal of Emperor Frederick III.
The Hunyadi series has already impressed audiences in Italy, Croatia, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Israel, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.