Aquarius Films & Anonymous Content partner to co-pro sci-fi thriller ‘The Subjugate’

L-R: Polly Staniford and Angie Fielder

Australian indie Aquarius Films and US-based Anonymous Content have teamed up to co-produce an adaptation of author Amanda Bridgeman’s dystopian sci-fi crime thriller The Subjugate.

Aquarius Films acquired the development and production rights to the novel, which will be turned into a long format series, produced by Angie Fielder (Lion) and Polly Staniford (Berlin Syndrome) for Aquarius and Luke Rivett and Ryan Cunningham for Anonymous Content.

Set in the near future of 2040, a series of murders sends shockwaves through the religious community of Bountiful, that has turned its back on technology and the modern world. The obvious suspects are the ‘Subjugates’, violent offenders who are transformed into town servants, but when two homicide detectives arrive to investigate, they find the situation is even more complex than they anticipated – and are soon pushed apart by growing mistrust.

“The Subjugate explores topical themes of rehabilitation, recidivism and advancing technology in a captivating near-future science fiction thriller and is perfect raw material for a compelling TV series,” said producers Fielder and Staniford. “We’ve always been huge fans of the work that Anonymous Content produce and are thrilled to be partnering with Luke and Ryan to bring to life the rich and complex world that Amanda Bridgeman has created in her novels.”

Aquarius Films is currently in production on SBS miniseries The Unusual Suspects and Parent Up for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The company also produced The Other Guy for Stan and Hulu and The Unlisted for Netflix and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Anonymous Content is behind the Apple TV+ series Dickinson which recently debuted its second season, and the Hulu limited series Catch-22 directed by George Clooney, as well as Paradise Lost for Spectrum Originals and Apple TV+ drama Defending Jacob.