This is the first project which the German Motion Picture Fund awarded its maximum funding sum, 10 million euros.
Very little exterior or location shooting was actually done for the series. Instead, extensive use was made of a custom-built L.E.D. virtual volume stage at Babelsberg Studios driven by Framestore's proprietary Unreal Shot Engine (F.U.S.E.). The stage also featured a rotating floor which allowed the entire set to be moved within the volume, making it possible to film different angles without having to move and re-set the camera itself. Being surrounded by a realistic ocean on the screens even made some of the actors seasick during the first days of shooting.
Each episode of the series ends with a classic rock song relating to its plot and/or foreshadowing the next episode.
As with Dark, Friese served as the head writer of the show. The staff writing team comprised writers of different nationalities including Emma Ko (from Hong Kong and the UK), Coline Abert (from France), Jerome Bucchan-Nelson (from the UK), Juliana Lima Dehne (from Brazil and the US), Joshua Long (from the US), Darío Madrona (from Spain), and Emil Nygaard Albertsen (from Denmark). According to director Baran bo Odar, all scripts were first written in English, then the non-English sections were translated by the staff writers and/or translators. Odar had phonetic copies of the script on set, and language assistants were present during filming to ensure the accuracy of the dialogue.
The name of the ship, Kerberos (Cerberus in English), refers to the three-headed dog that guards Hades. The ghost ship, Prometheus, is named for the Greek Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to Man.