The swarmthe big budget series based on the bestseller by Frank Schätzing and produced by Game of Thrones producer Frank Doelger, has landed in the US with The CW.
The deal sees the thriller Beta Film and ZDF Studios on its way to US audiences after debuting at the Berlin Film Festival and recently acquired by Sky for the Movistar+ channel in the UK and Spain. The US deal also comes during the WGA writers’ strike, when the appeal of foreign TV products to US buyers is expected to increase.
The swarm tells of the struggle of mankind against an unknown enemy living in the depths of the sea. Just as the reckless treatment of the oceans threatens the natural habitat of this mysterious collective, it strikes back.
The series stars Cécile de France, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Jack Greenlees, Lydia Wilson, Krista Kosonen, Alexander Karim, Leonie Benesch and Barbara Sukowa. The cast consists of the Japanese Takuya Kimura and Takehiro Hiera, the Americans Rosabell Laurenti Sellers and the Dutch Johnson and Canadian Joshua Odjick.
The series shot in Italy has also been sold to Japan, Italy, France, Scandinavia and Central Europe, with Beta Film and ZDF Studios accounting for world sales.
The swarm is produced by Schwarm TV Productions GmbH & Co KG, a joint venture between Intaglio Films and ndF IP for ZDF, France Télévisions, Rai Fiction, Viaplay Group, Hulu Japan, ORF and SRF, in co-production with Bravado Fiction and Beside Production and collaboration with ATHOS KG.
The US takeover deal was negotiated by The CW’s Jessica Lund and Kevin Levy, along with Beta’s Jeffrey Engelen and Oliver N. Bachert.
