Netflix is continuing with a planned adaptation of Malin Persson Giolito’s book, Deliver Me, a series delving into the devastating impact children experience when lured into a life of crime.
The Swedish series will follow a young teenager who commits a terrible crime and sparks a debate about where responsibility should be placed. The synopsis describes the ways in which the crime will demonstrate “the power of childhood friendship and a shattering depiction of what happens when a society fails to protect those that need it most.”
It also suggests it will put the justice system under the microscope, posing the vital question: “what does justice mean – and is the law capable of delivering it?”
Giolito is a lawyer and was able to use her own personal experiences when telling the story. Her father is also a criminologist, so she has been able to draw from many sources for her books, notably in her novels Dubbla slag, Bara ett barn, Bortom varje rimligt tvivel, Storst av allt, and Processon.
However, a disagreement among the production team resulted in Giolito deciding to remove her association from the Netflix adaptation of Deliver Me, citing a clash with the head writer about how the show should be presented. She described the decision as “necessary,” adding that “I don’t want this production to be marketed with my name.”
She told Dagens Nyheter that she didn’t share the same vision with writer Alex Haridi and they couldn’t agree on how to narrate the crux of the entire book, which resulted in her distancing herself from the project.
Deliver Me boasts the same production team as Quicksand, duo Frida Asp and Fatima Varhos, alongside Haridi, known for Love & Anarchy, and episode writer Amanda Högberg. Despite its sensitive subject matter, Giolito previously explained her reasons for being proud of her involvement.
“Netflix takes stories about young people seriously and is not afraid of portraying difficult issues,” she said, adding that Netflix was her “number one choice” for the adaptation and the perfect home for her “debut as a screenwriter.” She also praised the platform’s adaptation of Quicksand, expressing excitement at experiencing the same level of success.
It is unclear whether Giolito will return to the production team, but the internal clash of interest makes this look unlikely – particularly given the fact that the creation was entirely her vision to begin with. As someone who is new to the world of screenwriting, however, it could be that Haridi had a particular view of how the story should be translated to the small screen, which didn’t best reflect Giolito’s initial story.
Viewers will be able to see for themselves when it becomes available on Netflix on April 24th, 2024. Watch the trailer below.
