Bestselling author Frank Schätzing is dissatisfied with the ZDF film version of his book “The Swarm”. In an interview with the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, the 65-year-old said when asked what bothered him about the series: “That it remains below its potential. Some things are ready for the cinema, others emotional and talkative relationship box TV.” Schätzing drew a comparison to the ZDF romantic film series Rosamunde Pilcher and said: “It pilchers more than it raves.”
Schätzing continued: “A good cast of actors, but underchallenged. The global dimension of the threat is not noticeable, not to mention the topicality or an intelligent alien strategy.”
ZDF is gradually showing the international thriller series, which costs more than 40 million euros, in eight parts from February 22nd, first in the media library and then also in the television program. In order to realize such an expensive project based on Schätzing’s novel, the public broadcaster entered into international cooperations for the production.
Schätzing’s book of the same name “Der Schwarm” was published almost two decades ago. In it, the author describes a fictional catastrophe that comes from the deep sea. Animals seem to be taking revenge that the planet and their habitat are being destroyed by humans.
