A scripted Pussy Riot TV series is in development

A new television series about punk feminist activist group Pussy Riot is being developed. 

• READ MORE: Who are Pussy Riot? A guide to the Russian activist group who crashed the World Cup Final

Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova has reportedly reached a deal with STX Entertainment to develop the “limited scripted series”, which will be based on her upcoming memoir.

Per a Deadline Hollywood report, Tolokonnikova shared via a press release her intentions behind producing the show, expressing her ambition to “inspire a new generation of rebels”. “I was a broke 20-year-old artist studying philosophy, he was one of the most powerful, wealthy and dangerous men on Earth,” she stated. “In 2011 I went against him, damn the consequences. After years of imprisonment, harassment, attacks, trauma I am ready to share this story.”

“Today I’m on Russia’s most wanted list, labeled as a foreign agent, and recently was arrested in absentia by Russian court,” she continued. “My relatives and friends had been poisoned, my government wants me dead, but I don’t regret anything. If Pussy Riot’s story can inspire a new generation of rebels, it was all not in vain.”

The press release also stated that the upcoming limited series will “explore the story of how a young girl from Siberia took on the world’s most powerful dictator – the origins and formation of the art collective; the actions of Nadya and fellow young women against Putin in Moscow; their arrest after the famous ‘Punk Prayer’ action; their trial, conviction, and jail sentence; and the protests they conducted at the Sochi Olympics after their release.”

Executive producer Sophie Watts conveyed her excitement about the project, stating: “Nadya’s life is nothing short of extraordinary. A gripping, real-life spy life, filled with heroic, relentless art actions and activism, this series will show how a persevering artistic spirit can change the world.”

Pussy Riot first gained notoriety for their 2012 protest piece, ‘A Punk Prayer’, which was a response to accusations of electoral fraud and rigging in Vladimir Putin’s re-election. The protest resulted in the imprisonment of founding members Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, though they were released early in light of an amnesty bill passed shortly before Russia’s hosting of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Since then, they have staged multiple protests, including a performance at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, a pitch invasion during the 2018 World Cup Finals, and most recently, at the Indiana State Capitol, in response to the US Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

Earlier this year, they were awarded with the Woody Guthrie Prize. They have also teamed up with various artists over the last year, including a single with Avenged Sevenfold, a collaboration with Novo Twins, and a whole mixtape executive produced by Tove Lo, which featured guest spots from Salem Ilese, Big Freedia, Hudson Mohawke and iLoveMakonnen.