Mediawan and Atlantique Productions to produce a series about Pegasus spyware scandal

Mediawan and Atlantique Productions will adapt the book "Pegasus: How a Spy in Our Pocket Threatens the End of Privacy, Dignity, and Democracy", written by Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud, alongside Mark Zwonitzer, into a prestige limited series with global scale and resonance.

The book is the personal account of journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud who led the gripping investigation into the misuse of the Pegasus spyware. This global investigation with the technical support of Amnesty International’s Security Lab and coordinated by Forbidden Stories, a non-profit created by Richard in the aftermath of Charlie Hebdo massacre, is behind the revelations that blew the Pegasus Scandal wide open to the world. The journalists-authors are attached to the scripted project and will provide in-depth insight.

Atlantique Productions’ Managing Director Nathalie Perus and Mediawan Studio France’s CEO Thomas Anargyros will executive produce. "We are very proud to partner with Laurent, Sandrine, and Mark to adapt their book into an international series for millions of viewers around the globe. Everyone needs to know that such malware can turn you into an unwitting spy against your own loved ones. The drama will allow us to explore the inner workings of the investigation and its spy work, the beauty and turmoil of a global, top-secret collaboration, the dramatic burden of telling the truth and its emotional toll on the bold human beings who fought against a Goliath while trying to protect victims and sources. We envision a series with the beating investigative heart of All the President’s Men and Spotlight and the thrills of State of Play, set in the high-stakes hacker world of Tehran.” said Nathalie Perus.

Co-authors Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud add: "Throughout this worldwide investigation, we often had the impression of being immersed in a thriller, except that this time everything was true. This incredible journalistic adventure also deserves to be told through a fiction by screenwriters, whose talent will help to bring even further the worrying subject of cyber surveillance in the daily life of every citizen."