Droneland, a dystopian near-future crime thriller series for which Topkapi Series is a coproducer, has started shooting.
Droneland explores the intersection of surveillance, technology, and power in a fractured Europe.
The six-part international series (6×45 minutes) is based on the German novel Drohnenland by Tom Hillenbrand, originally published in 2014 by Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Droneland was created for television by showrunner and producer Nicolas Steil and is a coproduction between Luxembourg, Germany, The Netherlands and Poland.
Starring an international cast with Oliver Masucci (Dark, Er Ist Wieder Da), Sophie Mousel (Capitani), Sibel Kekilli (Game of Thrones), Gijs Naber (Judas, Black Book), Elise Schaap (Dead End, Faithfully Yours, Hotel Sinestra), Marc Limpach (Hinterland, Bad Banks, Munich: The Edge of War) and Alexander Scheer (Blood & Gold, Sloborn).
The story follows an unlikely duo of a haunted war veteran and an idealistic Europol agent as they uncover a tech conspiracy threatening the very fabric of reality. With a distinct European identity—gritty and grounded— Droneland tackles universal issues in an age where AI, surveillance, and the lure of digital utopias are redefining society. The parallels to real-world discourse around technology, populism, and democracy offer a timely narrative, anchored by characters whose emotional struggles resonate globally.
Produced by Iris Group (Luxembourg, Germany – Nicolas Steil, Katarzyna Ozga) in co-production with Syrreal Group (Germany – Sigi Kamml, Christian Alvart, Timm Oberwelland, Katrin Weikart), Topkapi Series (Netherlands – Frans van Gestel, Sebastian Korteweg, Laurette Schillings), and Enter Film (Poland – Bartek Glinski, Anna Blawut Mazurkiewicz), Droneland is directed by Max Zähle and Félix Koch, with screenplays by Nicolas Steil, Pierre Majerus, Jan Cronauer, and Christophe Wagner.
Droneland is supported by a coalition of major European broadcasters and public funds, including Film Fund Luxembourg, RTL Luxembourg, ZDF, Magenta TV, RTL Netherlands, German Motion Picture Fund, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Netherlands Film Fonds, Polish Film Institute, Council of Europe Pilot Programme for Series Co-productions and Creative Europe MEDIA. International distribution by New Regency.
Droneland will be broadcast in The Netherlands by Videoland.
