Let’s find out more about the series!
- Swarm is an American satirical comedy horror thriller limited series.
- It was created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover.
- It follows Dre (Dominique Fishback), a young woman whose obsession with a pop star takes a dark turn.
- Swarm debuted on March 17, 2023, on Amazon Prime Video.
- It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the direction, cinematography, soundtrack, and balance between its bright, vivid aesthetic and its elements of psychological horror.
- The writing drew some criticism.
- Fishback’s performance in the series has received widespread acclaim.
- At the same time the guest performances of Chloe Bailey, Billie Eilish, Heather Alicia Simms, and Damson Idris have also received praise.
- Every episode deals with real news stories, real events or internet rumors that have happened.
- As stated in Variety, there are many comparisons to Beyoncé through the character of Ni’Jah and her “swarm” fanbase.
- This is Billie Eilish’s acting debut.
- Paris Jackson stars as Hailey in episode 2. She is the daughter of pop star Michael Jackson.
- The show explores the cultural force of fandom, for better or for worse.
- The series was shot on 16mm film.
- Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson’s daughter playing Hailey, did indeed say in real life that she considers herself black.
- As per Rolling Stones, 2017, she said, “I consider myself Black. [Dad] would look me in the eyes and he’d point his finger at me and he’d be like, ‘You’re Black. Be proud of your roots.”
- Singer-actress Chloe Bailey’s first nude scene, though many viewers have wondered whether she uses a body double in her sex scene with Damson Idris since she doesn’t show her face.
- Episodes 6 and 7 refer to a real-life incident; in 2018, a 26-year-old man named Anthony Charles Thomas Maxwell rushed the stage during a Beyonce and Jay-Z concert in Atlanta. The name Dre is using, Tony, makes it an even clearer reference.
- The real-life story behind episode 3 and the bite is the following: according to Tiffany Haddish, in 2018 Beyoncé was bit in the face by Sanaa Lathan at a party.
- Just as the waiters in the credit scene say, she did act in “Love and Basketball”. The following episode interview resembles the real life episode of Ellen DeGeneres’s show where she interviews John Legend and tries to get him to reveal who bit Beyoncé.
- Episode 4 was inspired by the dark story of NXIVM and Keith Raniere / Alison Mack.
- The branding of cult members and Eva demanding a “bond” in shape of a dark secret; both practices were present in NXIVM.
- Glover compared the series to “post-truth Piano Teacher mixed with The King of Comedy“.
- Glover and Nabers wanted to create an anti-hero story, using Tony Soprano and Don Draper as inspiration.
- Malia Obama is among the writers of the series.
- On March 17, 2023, the original soundtrack was released.
- The extended play included accompanying music from the series performed by Donald Glover and Kirby.
- In February 2021, Donald Glover signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios.
- One of the projects in development included Hive, which would revolve around a figure inspired by Beyoncé, with Janine Nabers acting as co-creator and showrunner.
- Glover is also credited as creator and executive producer, and directed the first episode.
