Nope, not the one about the bees. We’re talking fish this time, as in the nasty ones featured in Frank Schätzing’s identically-titled 2004 novel. We say nasty, but given what mankind has put them through over the years – the oil-spills, the murdering, the kidnapping, all the urinating – it’s totally understandable they’d get their own back one day.

A best-selling eco-horror, The Swarm depicts the denizens of our ocean depths (crabs, whales, octopi, plankton, you name it) teaming up to wreak havoc upon us, and the marine biologists who are tasked with stopping the madness. It’s a great premise, so it’s somewhat of a surprise that this has taken so long to be adapted for screen; although Uma Thurman herself (alongside her producing partners) purchased the rights to the source material way back in 2007 with the intention of developing it. There’s naturally a lot of scope for a TV series, and a popular one at that – especially given audiences’ fascination with what lurks beneath the waves (see the recent box-office haul The Meg took, despite it being a toothless Jaws rip-off).

Bringing this upcoming adaptation to our screens is Frank Doelger, whose most recent credit is a little show called Game of Thrones (never heard of it). He’ll executive produce The Swarm also, for German broadcaster ZDF (though it will still be English language), and the series will comprise of an initial 8-episode run. Production isn’t expected to start until next year, so we can probably pencil in a 2020 drop for this one. By which time our fishy brethren could very well have already executed their revolt against our polluting arses!

Original Synopsis (novel):

Whales begin sinking ships. Toxic, eyeless crabs poison Long Island’s water supply. The North Sea shelf collapses, killing thousands in Europe. Around the world, countries are beginning to feel the effects of the ocean’s revenge as the seas and their inhabitants begin a violent revolution against mankind. At stake is the survival of the Earth’s fragile ecology—and ultimately, the survival of the human race itself. The apocalyptic catastrophes of The Day After Tomorrow meet the watery menace of The Abyss in this gripping, scientifically realistic, and utterly imaginative thriller.

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