The six-part TV drama based on the story of The Pirate Bay, which was first reported in 2021, is going into production this fall, according to Variety. It’s being produced by B-Reel Films, the same production company behind Midsommar, and LA-based indie distribution firm Dynamic Television has just acquired the worldwide rights for it. Presumably, that means it will be released to audiences around the world — legally, that is, so people don’t have to use websites like The Pirate Bay to get a copy of the series.
Before streaming services became widely available, a lot of people took to the high seas to download shows that din’t air in their home countries or movies they missed in the theaters. The Pirate Bay, a BitTorrent index that allowed users to contribute magnet links others can access, was perhaps the most common first stop for internet users looking for content back then.
Head writer Piotr Marciniak described the series as “a classic rise and fall story, a tragedy about flying too close to the sun, but also a timeless story of a generational conflict.” It will apparently tell a character-driven tale focused on co-founders Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Gottfrid Swartholm who established the website as anti-copyright activists. Eventually, they found themselves Hollywood’s enemy number 1, chased by anti-piracy agents, lawyers and the Interpol until they were found guilty of assisting in copyright infringement and sentenced to prison.
As for what viewers can expect, director Jens Sjögren said:
“We are thrown between the driving perspectives – quick cuts between the basement full of computers to the conference rooms of Hollywood, from the offices in Washington via the concern felt at government offices in Stockholm, to meetings with financiers at Lake Geneva and then finally we’re back in the safety of the basement. A full throttle journey infused with paranoia, humor and deadly serious technical, emotional and political challenges.”
The show doesn’t have a release date yet, but Dynamic will share more details about it at the MIPTV Media Market event in Cannes on April 17th to 19th.
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Mariella Moon