Netflix's "House of Cards" Denied Access to the United Nations, Teases the "Shadows" of Season Three Set [SPOILERS]

By Adam Bellotto

Jul 07 2014, 14:48 PM EDT

"House of Cards," one of the biggest hits on Netflix's streaming service, is gearing up for its third season.

The series (which despite being set in the heart of Washington, D.C., is actually shot in Maryland) recently had a snag in its production. Initially, Netflix and series creator Beau Willimon had planned to shoot the third season in Maryland, just like the first two. But the Maryland legislation did not pass the tax incentives that Media Rights Capitol, the studio behind "House of Cards," needed to begin filming. However, after some negotiations, a compromise was reached, and a Maryland shoot was set to continue.

Then, this past week, Willimon had planned to shoot several scenes in the United Nations Security Council Chamber, but was denied access by Mikael Agasandyan, a Russian diplomat.

Other UN members, such as French ambassador Gerard Araud and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, were looking forward to the shoot, and the opportunity to meet Kevin Spacey and the rest of the "House of Cards" cast.

Says Araud, "It's disappointing for you, I guess, because you wanted to see the actors.... It's reassuring because I think the actors would have seemed so much more elegant than we are, you know."

But the veto from Agasandyan, who claimed the Security Council Chamber should be available in case of emergency, means "House of Cards" will have to find somewhere else to pose as their United Nations building.

Meanwhile, Beau Willimon posted a new tease of the show's third season to his Twitter page. The image shows a shadowy area of the "House of Cards" set, with a caption by Willimon reading, "The shadows behind the scenes on the stage of @House of Cards."

The series, which follows Frank Underwood, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives as he climbs the political ladder in Washington D.C. Recently, Willimon remarked on where Underwood will continue to climb, after ascending to become President of the United States at the end of the second season. Says Willimon, "What do you you do when you're on top of it? Who are you? You can no longer say, 'I'm the guy trying to reach the summit.'"

Season Three of "House of Cards" will premiere in early 2015.