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Firefly seeks to avoid Baby Reindeer controversy with latest true crime drama

Firefly’s Gorilla is based on Serbian author Dusan Savkovic’s novel of the same name

CONTENT WARSAW: The controversy surrounding Netflix and Clerkenwell Films’ hit Baby Reindeer is shaping Serbian producer Firefly’s approach to its adaptation of a true crime novel.

Gorilla (6×55′) is based on Serbian author Dusan Savkovic’s novel of the same name, published in 1976 and described as a fictionalised interpretation of two unsolved true crimes.

These include the deaths of Serbian-born US actor Milos Milos and Barbara Ann Thomason, the estranged wife of movie legend Mickey Rooney, who were found dead in Rooney’s LA home in 1966, and the so-called Marković affair, the 1968 French political scandal following the death of Stevan Marković, a friend of Milos and bodyguard of actor Alain Delon.

The latter trial attracted worldwide attention after it was revealed Marković had tried to blackmail Delon with photos of orgies in which alleged participants included the wife of the future French president, Georges Pompidou.

“We decided to use Savkovic’s novel and the real-life crimes as a source of inspiration – but to relieve ourselves of the constraints of reality, and to fictionalise the events in order to explore the deeply human themes and tragedies behind them,” the pitch bible to Gorilla states.

Speaking to C21 here at Content Warsaw, Belgrade-based Firefly Productions co-founder, chief operating officer and producer Ivana Miković revealed her plans to adapt the book and avoid the same controversies that Baby Reindeer has attracted.

Netflix has been threatened with legal action over the authenticity of Baby Reindeer’s storyline – described in the show as a true story – and its portrayal of real-life individuals.

“Obviously, we don’t want to have problems like Baby Reindeer. We’re going to change the names and the set-up. We’re adding storylines to add some meat to the story and new characters. But it’s not a documentary, you need to add to it,” said Miković.

The move comes after Firefly recently filmed WWII drama series Constantine’s Crossing at its recently opened state-of-the-art studio complex in Serbia, with France’s Mediawan Rights on board as distributor. Firefly also worked with Germany’s Beta Film on Children of Evil, which was sold to Warner Bros Discovery-owned streamer Max.

Gorilla is one of numerous book-based scripted series Firefly is seeking international partners for here at Content Warsaw, along with the English-language titles Rabies, based on a Serbian bestseller about an outbreak of rabies at Heathrow airport, and Fatal Ally, based on the book of the same name by Bafta-winning former BBC journalist Tim Sebastian.

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