Rise of the Raven (, ) is 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 of Hungary (NFI), 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.
Cast and characters ActorCharacterDescriptionGellért L. KádárJohn HunyadiA Hungarian military leader, Voivode of Transylvania, and Governor of the Kingdom of Hungary. He grew into a man driven to protect his people, by defending Hungary and Christian Europe, he became a legend.Vivien RujderElizabeth SzilágyiThe wife of John Hunyadi. Elizabeth fights bravely for her family and country on the home front while Hunyadi is away, and even joins him on the battlefield.Franciska Törőcsik Mara BrankovićDaughter of the Despot of Serbia, Hunyadi's first love, later the wife of Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire. The strong-minded woman is determined to take her life back into her own hands.Ernő FeketeUlrich CilleiCount of Cilli, Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. A Hungarian nobleman with numerous connections and great influence. Power-hungry and ambitious, he is also one of Hunyadi's fiercest enemies. Cillei manipulates state affairs through his family connections.Balázs MedveczkyNicholas ÚjlakiA Hungarian nobleman, Ban of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Macsó, Voivode of Transylvania, one of the largest landowners in the country. A member of the wealthiest and one of the oldest families in the Kingdom of Hungary, he is a true oddsmaker who always chooses sides or allies according to where he can expect to make the most profit.László Mátray Michael SzilágyiA Hungarian count, brother of Elizabeth Szilágyi the wife of John Hunyadi. Captain of Belgrade during the Ottoman siege.László Gálffi King Sigismund of HungarySigismund is one of the most important figures of late medieval Europe. King of Hungary, Germany and Bohemia, later Holy Roman Emperor.Mariann Hermányi Elizabeth of LuxembourgDaughter of King Sigismund and Barbara Cillei, wife to Albert Habsburg, then of King Vladislaus, Elizabeth is a spoiled beauty who is impetuous, passionate and easily manipulated.Murathan MusluSultan Murad II of the Ottoman EmpireSultan Murad of the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire has set his sights on territorial conquest, but as Hunyadi's childhood love, Mara, enters his life, his resolve begins to weaken.Ulaşcan KutluSultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman EmpireMurad's second-born son enters the world condemned to death, for the harsh inheritance system of the Edirne court dictates that upon the Sultan's death, the first-born heir must kill all his siblings.Balázs CsémyJohn VitézJohn Vitéz, one of the most loyal supporters of Hunyadi. From a talented clergyman's apprentice, he comes to be an influential statesman.Áron Forrai Ladislaus HunyadiSon of John Hunyadi.Krisztián Csákvári King Vladislaus, King of Poland and HungaryKing of Poland, Vladislaus arrives at the invitation of the divided Hungarian nobility to take the throne in place of Ladislaus V, who had been crowned as an infant. By accepting the crown, Vladislaus becomes the joint ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary and Poland.Gábor NagypálVlad II DraculVlad is the ruler of Wallachia and a vassal of King Sigismund of Hungary, whose country is under constant threat from the expanding Ottoman Empire. He is notorious for impaling his opponents.Dino BenjaminVlad the ImpalerSon of Vlad Dracul.Cornelius ObonyaFrederick HabsburgHe is the head of House Habsburg with enormous political influence and the uncle of Albert Habsburg.Laurence RuppAlbert HabsburgHe is the nephew of Frederick Habsburg. Married to King Sigismund's daughter, Elizabeth of Luxembourg, Albert is crowned following Sigismund's death, becoming the first Habsburg ruler in Hungarian history.Zsolt László Simon KeményHigh ranked Hungarian military personnel.Eszter ÓnodiBarbara CilleiWife of King Sigismund.Thomas TrabacchiJohn of CapistranoA Franciscan monk, Capistrano recognizes the young Hungarian as the white knight from his vision when he meets John Hunyadi in Rome.Giancarlo GianniniPope Eugene IVHead of the Catholic Church. Eugene follows the career of John Hunyadi from afar. He authorises the Edirne Crusade of 1444.Péter Jankovics Julian CesariniPapal envoy, supporting the Hungarian-led Crusade against Ottoman Empire.Francesco AcquaroliFilippo Maria ViscontiDuke of Milan.Elena RusconiGiulietta Di BrienzaVisconti’s niece, the secret weapon to keep Hunyadi in Milan in Italy. Rade ŠerbedžijaGeorge BrankovićThe Despot of Serbia, father of Mara, was a vassal to the Hungarian king, tasked with defending the castles along the Hungarian–Serbian border and strengthening the frontier against Ottoman invasions. But Branković not only betrays his allies, he also sacrifices his beloved daughter, Mara, sending her to the Sultan's court as a guarantee to preserve peace. Serkan ÇolakHalil PashaGrand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.Karel RodenJan MatějčíkHussite soldier in the army of Hunyadi.Kristóf FröhlichJakubHussite soldier in the army of Hunyadi.Judit PecháčekAliya HatunMurad II's harem madam who introduces Mara Branković to Sultan's harem in Edirne.Emőke Zsigmond Mary RozgonyiWife of Nicholas Újlaki.Martin GyetvaiYoung John HunyadiJohn Hunyad as child.
Episodes
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."
The Croatian broadcasting rights were bought by HRT, with the premier aired on HRT1 on 1 April 2026.
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 (RAI), Croatia (HRT), Germany (Telekom Deutschland), Slovakia (STVR), Switzerland (Blue TV), Israel (YES), Slovenia, and the Czech Republic (ČT2).
References
External links
Rise of the Raven from Hunyadi.tv
Rise of the Raven at MR Film (in German) Rise of the Raven at Beta Film GmbH