Oscar-nominated director Stephen Frears will direct and executive produce the television adaptation of William Dalrymple’s bestseller “The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company” for global indie studio Wiip and India’s Roy Kapur Films.
The international co-production will reunite screenwriters Walon Green, Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen, the creative team behind Apple TV+’s “Hello Tomorrow!” The series will be produced across the U.K. and Asia.
Dalrymple’s historical epic chronicles how the East India Company, described as “a dangerously unregulated start-up” operating from a small London office, executed the takeover of the entire Indian subcontinent, which at the time constituted more than one-fourth of the world’s GDP.
“This is the most contemporary of themes: A ruthless businessman and his corporation seizing power, a group of oligarchs taking over a chunk of the world, asset-stripping, looting, manipulating the stock market, destroying whole economies for their profit. The East India Company stealing India in the 18th century.” Frears said.
Published in 2019, the book landed on President Barack Obama’s top 10 recommended books list and was named among The Wall Street Journal’s best books of the year.
Roy Kapur Films head Siddharth Roy Kapur praised Frears as having “directed some of the most beloved movies of the last four decades” and called his participation “an absolute dream come true.”
Executive producers include Wiip‘s Paul Lee (“Mare of Easttown”), Roy Kapur (“Dangal”), and Xpat Productions’ Naz Haider, alongside the writing team. Dalrymple will serve as creative consultant, with John Burnham producing.
Green said: “Along with historical grandeur and the near mythic setting of this story, there’s something else that rings disturbingly familiar: an epic venality; wherein a handful of wealthy men to enhance their personal fortunes and gratify the extremes of their egos can manipulate the destiny of millions.”
Haider added: “The significance of this story cannot be overstated in today’s world, where mega-conglomerates often enjoy more privileges and protection than ordinary citizens. The Anarchy possesses the creative depth and epic scope to serve as India’s answer to ‘The Crown’ – an origin story waiting to be told.”
Frears, recently knighted in 2023, has received two Academy Award nominations for directing “The Grifters” (1991) and “The Queen” (2007). His credits include “Dangerous Liaisons,” “High Fidelity,” “Philomena,” and the Emmy-nominated limited series “A Very English Scandal.”
Wiip’s slate includes the Emmy-winning “Mare of Easttown,” “Dickinson,” and the upcoming Mark Ruffalo-led “Task.” Roy Kapur Films has produced acclaimed works including “The Sky Is Pink,” “Rocket Boys,” and India’s 95th Academy Awards shortlisted entry “Last Film Show.”
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