Jeremy Brock to Adapt William Dalrymple’s The Anarchy

Roy Kapur Films (RKF) and wiip have selected BAFTA-winning screenwriter Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland, Her Majesty Mrs. Brown) to adapt William Dalrymple’s The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company.

The book tells the story of how one of the world’s most powerful empires, the Mughal Empire, disintegrated and came to be replaced by the British East India Company, a dangerously unregulated private company based in a small London office.

The Anarchy TV adaptation will be executive produced by wiip’s Paul Lee (Mare of Easttown), Roy Kapur Films’ Siddharth Roy Kapur (Dangal) and XPat Productions’ Naz Haider. Dalrymple will serve as a creative consultant.

Brock said: “I’m incredibly excited to be able to adapt William Dalrymple’s all-encompassing history of India under the rise of the world’s first global commercial empire. The Anarchy is packed with amazing characters, the highest possible stakes and a contemporary resonance that sees the weaponization of profit on a level that boggles the mind. Dalrymple’s brilliant book has the scale of Game of Thrones, the internecine plotting of Succession and a true-life intensity that begs to be dramatized.”

Lee commented: “We are thrilled to have Jeremy’s unique skills as a storyteller to tell this extraordinary tale of the collapse of the Mughal Empire in India. I know he will use his prodigious talents to get behind the eyes of characters like Mir Jafar and Robert Clive.”

Roy Kapur added: “Jeremy’s unique ability to bring complex historical events to life through the humanity of his compelling characters makes him just the creative driving force needed for The Anarchy. William Dalrymple’s epic tale of the East India Company is a story that could not be more relevant to the times we are in, and with Jeremy’s incredible vision, we are confident it will transcend cultural and geographical boundaries, resonating with audiences everywhere.”