By Markus Tschiedert
The fans of “The Swarm” have been waiting for the film adaptation for years. The first episodes are now celebrating their premiere at the Berlinale. Bestselling author Frank Schätzing is not very enthusiastic.
It was a hassle with announcement. Bestselling author Frank Schätzing (65) scoffs at the film adaptation of his 2004 hit novel “Der Schwarm” (over 4.5 million copies sold in Germany alone) “It pilchers more than it raves,” he etches about the ZDF production.
An eco-thriller about sea creatures suddenly threatening humanity was crying out for a movie. Hollywood tried, Ridley Scott (“Alien”) was in talks, then Uma Thurman (“Kill Bill”) bought the rights. In 2018, ZDF (one of the main sponsors of the Berlinale) took over the project. Together with producer Frank Doelger (“Game of Thrones”), the most expensive German series of all time was realized for 40 million euros alongside “Berlin Babylon”. Initially Schätzing was still on board until he fell out with Doelger because he took too many liberties.
On Sunday, the first three episodes in the Berlinale Series division celebrated their world premiere. And indeed, the film adaptation suffers from the series format.
The 1000-page book is expanded here to include additional fictional storylines and characters. It doesn’t have much to do with the novel. The first episodes run in diffuse menace and take too long to introduce the many characters. That slows down the tension considerably. A total of four seasons with 32 episodes are planned.
Also present is Oliver Masucci (54), who plays the captain of a research ship in “The Swarm”. A character that was also invented. Masucci takes Schätzing’s criticism of the series calmly. “We met at Hendrik Streeck’s summer party in Bonn,” says the actor (“He’s back”). “We chatted all night about the film adaptation. He’s not that happy with it. But that’s part of literary adaptations.”
What counts for him is the message to deal better with our environment: “The question is: How do you do it differently? It is no longer possible for our society to do without our achievements. That’s why I believe in research, and that’s what fascinated me about the novel.”