Stephen Frears, the legendary director known for outstanding films like The Queen, Dangerous Liasons, Philomena, Victoria and Abdul, My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters, High Fidelity, The Regime and A Very English Scandal, is all set to direct an ambitious series, which is an extraordinary adaptation of William Dalrymple’s critically acclaimed book The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. The series is being mounted as an international co-production between US-based studio wiip and leading Indian production house Roy Kapur Films.
Set in the 18th century, the story of The Anarchy is a gripping exploration of the British East India Company’s commercial ambitions in India, ultimately leading to the takeover of an entire subcontinent.
The rights acquisition of William Dalrymple’s bestselling book was believed to have been amongst India’s most sought-after book-to-TV rights deals, with Roy Kapur Films ultimately emerging with the rights. The show is being produced on a massive scale, making it the most ambitious international co-production by an Indian production house. Adapted for the screen by Walon Green, Amit Bhalla, and Lucas Jansen, the writers behind Hello Tomorrow! (Apple TV+), The Anarchy will be shot across the UK and Asia.
The series finds new resonance today, as echoed by Stephen Frears himself, who says: “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!”
Siddharth Roy Kapur, one of India’s most prominent producers with films like Dangal, Barfi, Haider, Kai Po Che and Last Film Show to his credit, said: “Stephen’s range as a filmmaker is simply unmatched. He has directed some of the most beloved films of the last four decades, including some of my personal favourites, and to have him come on board to helm this project is an absolute dream come true. Collaborating with our production partners at wiip has been an incredibly enriching experience. This is a story that demanded scale, depth, and ambition, and I am proud that we have brought an extraordinary team together to bring it to life for a global audience.”
Dalrymple’s book was a #1 bestseller in India, longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, and named one of Barack Obama’s top 10 books of the year. The upcoming series adaptation now marks a bold step in expanding Indian history into the global entertainment arena, with an epic narrative that’s both timely and timeless.
