Why three films in one production?

European Film Market, Berlin

Last February, during the Berlin Film Market, I had lunch with Timo and we found ourselves talking about the future of film financing — where the industry is heading and what it might realistically support in the coming years. The conversation naturally drifted to Deep Red, and at one point Timo suggested something radical:

What if we shot the entire trilogy in one go?

My immediate reaction was: No way.

Timo and Tero at Berlin Market

I reacted exactly the way the film industry has trained us to react. First you make one film. Then, if it succeeds, you make the next. That’s how it’s always been done.

But the idea stuck.

Timo had clearly hit a nerve, and I couldn’t let it go. I started reflecting on everything that had happened with Iron Sky — what worked, what didn’t, and where momentum was gained and lost. Pretty quickly, I realized something unexpected: I couldn’t find a single good reason not to do it.

That was the moment the decision was made.

And that decision has become the driving force behind Deep Red. It shapes everything else we’re doing.

Doing the Opposite of the Traditional Model

In traditional film production, each film is treated as a standalone risk. Scripts are written one at a time. Financing is renegotiated again and again. Audiences are asked to wait — sometimes for years — before a sequel appears.

Momentum is lost. Visibility fades. The audience moves on.

The original DEEP RED (then known as RED PLANET) design document, from Berlin EFM 2025!

We want to do the opposite.

By producing three films as a single production, we can build one coherent creative and logistical engine. This creates synergy across the entire filmmaking process: development, production, post-production, release, and marketing.

Films that would normally cost €8–10 million each can be produced for around €5 million each — without compromising ambition or scope. The cost savings are significant, running into several million euros.

But the real advantage goes far beyond cost efficiency.

Predictability as a Creative Advantage

This structure allows us to offer something rare in independent cinema: predictability.

A compact release window — potentially one film per year — keeps the story alive, the audience engaged, and the marketing momentum compounding rather than restarting from scratch every time.

Instead of asking audiences to wait and hope, we give them a clear, reliable journey.

Financing the Trilogy

The Model.

So how do we finance three films when traditional film financing isn’t designed to support multiple films before the first one has proven itself?

The total production budget for the trilogy is €15 million. Of that, we expect €5 million to come from spend-related incentives and other funding that doesn’t require giving up rights. That leaves €10 million to finance across the three films.

Our background with Iron Sky taught us the power of audience engagement and crowdfunding long before it became mainstream. It also taught us the limitations of manual systems — especially when transparency and scale collide.

Later, producing Mad Heidi in Switzerland introduced us to blockchain technology as a practical tool. Not hype. Not speculation. But a way to automate transparency and revenue sharing properly.

Those learnings are now embedded into Deep Red’s financing model.

Not to replace filmmaking traditions — but to modernize the infrastructure around them.

Where We Are Now

After spending most of 2025 developing the concept, we launched our pre-round at the end of August. This phase focuses on development: scripts, infrastructure, marketing, and the production of a high-end promo that shows what Deep Red truly is.

As we enter the new year, we’ve secured close to €100,000 and gathered extensive feedback.

What has become clear is that this approach resonates with forward-thinking minds — people who understand that new tools are needed to solve old problems.

Current progress of the Deep Red Pre-Round

The Promise Going Forward

Our promise for the year ahead is clear:

To bring community investors, private investors, and institutional capital into the same ecosystem — and build the foundation for a next-generation entertainment universe where creative growth, participation, and shared monetization truly align.

The film trilogy is the foundation of the IP. From there, Deep Red will expand through transmedia partnerships and new formats, reaching global audiences far beyond traditional cinema.

It’s early. It’s ambitious.

And it’s exactly the challenge we want to take on.

Tero Kaukomaa

Co-creator & Producer

Deep Red

I have seen the light!