Pictures: Netflix
Over 30 years after one of the greatest tragedies in Polish maritime history, the disaster of the ferry Jan Heweliusz returns will be heading to Netflix in a new ambitious series scheduled to release on November 5th, 2025. Titled Heweliusz, the production has garnered significant buzz within Netflix and is one of the biggest projects ever to come out of the platform, not just for its scale and cast but for its subject matter, which still stirs emotions and controversy in Poland today. Here’s what you need to know and all the first looks and behind-the-scenes snaps.
For context, the story covers the sinking of the MS Jan Heweliusz, which went down in the stormy Baltic Sea near the German island of Rügen in January 1993. Of the 64 people on board, 55 lost their lives, with only nine surviving. The wreck still rests at the bottom of the sea, and the disaster remains one of the most painful and controversial episodes in postwar Polish history. From the outset, questions of negligence hung over the tragedy: the ferry was in poor condition, stability tests had been skipped after repairs, and a damaged stern gate worsened its vulnerability in the storm. The vessel already had a long record of malfunctions, including a fire at sea and a near-capsize in port, earning it the grim nickname “the floating coffin.”
The Netflix series, directed by Jan Holoubek and written by Kacper Bajon (Project UFO), goes beyond simple reconstruction. While most characters are fictional, the narrative is grounded in extensive research, witness testimony, and court documents from Maritime Chamber trials.
The core of the story focuses not only on the night of the disaster but also on the widows and families who fought for justice in the face of systemic failure, indifference, and attempts to shift blame onto the deceased captain, Andrzej Ułasiewicz, and his crew.
The series is expected to run for 5 episodes (not confirmed) and
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Who is in the cast for Heweliusz?
Although the cast of the series ultimately featured over 120 names, here’s the 27 core cast of characters you’ll see throughout the series:
- Jan Englert (Katyń, Big Love) as Ojciec Bintera
- Borys Szyc (Cold War, The Mole) as Kapitan Ułasiewicz
- Magdalena Zawadzka (Pan Wołodyjowski, Brunet Will Call) as Matka Bintera
- Jacek Koman (Moulin Rouge!, Children of Men) as mec. Ignacy Budzisz
- Mirosław Zbrojewicz (Pigs, Fuks) as Kurzak – Kapitan Portu
- Magdalena Różczka (33 Scenes from Life, Medical Examiner) as Jolanta Ułasiewicz
- Andrzej Konopka (Corpus Christi, The Mire) as Kubara
- Justyna Wasilewska (Sweat, Enemies) as Kaczkowska
- Tomasz Schuchardt (Suicide Room, Blindness) as Kaczkowski
- Michał Żurawski (The Mire, Kruk) as Binter
- Łukasz Lewandowski (Corpus Christi, Aftermath) as Skrzypczyński
- Dariusz Chojnacki (Clergy, The Last Family) as Karpiel
- Jacek Beler (25 Years of Innocence, City 44) as Lemański
- Michał Pawlik (Broad Peak, Warsaw 44) as Zawadzki
- Konrad Eleryk (Underdog, Furioza) as Skirmuntt
- Mia Goti (Prime Time) as Aga
- Marcin Jan Januszkiewicz (Furioza, The Mire ’97) as Ferenc
- Mateusz Górski (Broad Peak, Into the Wind) as Zajdel
- Piotr Łukaszewicz (Ultraviolet) as Korzyński
- Anna Dereszowska (Letters to Santa, Testosterone) as Zylbern
- Michalina Łabacz (Volhynia, 1863) as Jadwiga Skirmuntt
- Mirosław Kropielnicki (Clergy, Corpus Christi) as Kosiorek
- Magdalena Osińska (Ultraviolet) as Stewardess Ola
- Dominika Kluźniak (33 Scenes from Life, Warsaw by Night) as Zaborek
- Julian Świeżewski (Corpus Christi, Hardkor Disko) as Kurier Wojskowy
- Joachim Lamża (Firefighter’s Story, The Mire) as Sulik
- Piotr Rogucki (Furioza, Underdog) as Szwedes
Where was Heweliusz filmed?
Filmed in both Poland, primarily in Wroclaw and Warsaw, and extensive shots at a specialist facility in Brussels, Belgium, reports suggested it’s easily one of Netflix’s biggest productions from Poland to date. It filmed between January and August 2024.
The production was mounted on an extraordinary scale. It reportedly filmed across 70 locations with the series involving over 120 actors, 2,000 period vehicles, and a staggering 700 tons of water. The spectacular storm sequences were shot inside a specially equipped studio in Brussels.
Picture courtesy of Netflix
Picture courtesy of Netflix
Picture courtesy of Netflix
Polish journalist Katarzyna Sobiechowska-Szuchta, who works for RMF FM, visited the facility during production in August 2024 and spoke to a number of actors and the team behind the series. The conversation, in the link provided, had some of the team suggesting that filming led them to the most intense physical and emotional challenges of their careers. One actor recalled shooting an underwater sequence that left him gasping for control: “The hardest moment is when the water comes in and you simply lose your breath. I didn’t have to act much, I just felt like I was drowning.” He described the difficulty of sinking while bubbles crept under his costume, the disorientation of depth, and the strange sensation of his ears aching as pressure built. Shooting in Belgium added another level of intensity, with waves, wind, and long hours spent in a heated 30-degree pool: “It’s like a giant playground for big kids. These kinds of adventures don’t happen often in our profession.”
- Producers: Anna Kępińska, Jacek Dąbrowski-Udziela, Bartek Kaczmarek
- Cinematography: Marek Warszewski
- Production Design: Mirela Zawiszewska
- Makeup & Hair: Weronika Orlińska
- Costume Design: Rafał Listopad
- Editing: Kacper Habisiak
- Sound: Jan Komar
- Music: Żywia Kosińska
- Production Companies: Beside Productions and Telemark
Will you be watching Heweliusz when it drops on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
