HBO Original ‘The Eastern Gate’ Debuts First Look of Second Season

Polish HBO Original series “The Eastern Gate” is ready for a second season. 

Jan P. Matuszyński – also known for “The Last Family” and Venice premiere “Leave No Traces” – returns as director. Lena Góra will play the role of Ewa Oginiec. Góra recently starred alongside Charli XCX in Pete Ohs’ drama “Erupcja.” She worked with Matuszyński also on 2020 series “The King of Warsaw.”

“The Eastern Gate” was described by Sarah Aubrey, HBO Max head of original programming in her Series Mania keynote last week as “the biggest show we’ve launched in Poland since HBO Max launched in 2021.” Season 1 ranked when it bowed last year as the most-watched HBO European production in the U.S. since “30 Coins”

After the dramatic events in Minsk, Ewa (Góra) simply vanishes into thin air. Nine months later, despite an intensive search by Polish intelligence, her fate remains unknown. Is she dead? Is she in the hands of Belarusian intelligence? Two agents from Polish and Ukrainian intelligence set out on a mission to find her. A race between the agencies and a race against time begins in the face of the inevitably approaching conflict in Ukraine. 

Filming for the second season of the series began in early February. The series is produced by TVN Warner Bros. Discovery.

The show is lensed by Kacper Fertacz and written by Piotr Szymanek, who also produces, as well as Bartosz Janiszewski, Michał Godzic, Piotr Rzepka and Katarzyna Górtat-Rzepka.

“The first season was a huge success not only in Poland but also in other countries. It tackles an extremely timely topic. Political tensions are rising around the world, and the line between peace and conflict is very fragile. Most people only see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the actions taken by politicians and various agencies in such situations,” Bogumił Lipski told Variety. Lipski serves as an executive producer and drama/film unit director at TVN Warner Bros. Discovery.

The show reveals what’s usually hidden yet “has a real impact on the course of history and the security of many nations,” he added. 

“The stakes are even higher in the second season. The script was reviewed by people who are, or were, affiliated with various agencies, ensuring the events depicted are highly credible. It is the fact that these situations could actually happen that makes it so unsettling. The story’s realism certainly captures the viewers’ imagination.” 

But fear not – ultimately, it’s still fiction, and it’s delivered on a grand scale. 

“Just think of the dozens of locations and hundreds of extras! We hope to be able to present it to a wider audience as early as 2027,” said Lipski.