Ottoman Soldiers Spotted on Netflix’s 3 Body Problem Set in Budapest

Extras in Ottoman military costumes stepped out of Budapest’s Stock Exchange Palace during a break in filming for Netflix’s 3 Body Problem. Actress Eiza González, who plays Auggie Salazar in the series, was also spotted between takes at the Szabadság Square location, where the costumes offered a clue to what the crew might have been shooting.

Eiza González standing with crew members beside production vehicles in Budapest. — Eiza González between takes near the Stock Exchange Palace during the Budapest shoot. Photo courtesy of Réka Bíró.

Readers of Cixin Liu’s Death’s End, the third book in the trilogy, might recognize the setup. In one of the novel’s opening chapters, Ottoman forces are laying siege to Constantinople in 1453 when a woman named Helena approaches Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI. She claims she can get into places no one else can reach, giving the emperor an unlikely chance to turn the tide of the siege.

The Ottoman costumes raise the possibility that the Stock Exchange Palace stood in for 15th-century Constantinople.

A photo posted on Reddit also showed a film setup near the Museum of Ethnography in City Park. Commenters linked it to 3 Body Problem, though the connection remains unconfirmed.

Netflix announced that production on season two had begun in Budapest, and Hungarian production partner Pioneer shared that the second and third seasons would shoot back to back, with Hungary taking over as the main production base. The first season was filmed primarily in the United Kingdom, with additional shoots in the United States, Spain, and Panama.

The Stock Exchange Palace Is No Stranger to Hollywood

The columned façade of Budapest’s Stock Exchange Palace with black drapes across the main entrance and production vehicles outside. — The Stock Exchange Palace on Szabadság Square, with black drapes across the entrance and production vehicles outside. Photo courtesy of Réka Bíró.

The Stock Exchange Palace, known locally as the Tőzsdepalota, once housed Budapest’s commodity and securities exchange and later became the headquarters of Hungarian Television. In Blade Runner 2049, its grand entrance became the lobby of the casino where Ryan Gosling’s K tracks down Harrison Ford’s Deckard. Red Sparrow and Gemini Man also filmed in the building, while Black Widow used the roof.