Great Siege drama series to be set and filmed in Malta

An eight-part television drama about the Great Siege of Malta is in development, with the series set to be filmed largely locally.

The Order, written by award-winning British dramatist Stephen Poliakoff, will be set in the months leading up to and during the 1565 siege, when the Knights of St John and the Maltese resisted an Ottoman assault that became one of the defining episodes in Malta’s history.

The project, based on Peter Portelli’s novel of the same name, was announced by Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech during the Golden Bee Awards ceremony at the Mediterrane Film Festival.

The series is being produced by Little Island Productions and Hopefield in association with the Malta Film Commission. Malta will serve as the principal production base, with production expected to begin in 2027.

Casting, directing, financing and international distribution details have yet to be announced.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Portelli said the adaptation still felt difficult to believe, describing it as a surreal experience.

Author Peter Portelli, on whose novel The Order the series is based.

He said he was proud that the story was moving closer to being brought to the screen, after the book was first promoted at the Mediterrane Film Festival two years ago and was later optioned for television.

“I never would have imagined it,” he said. “I would have been happy to sell a few thousand copies.”

Portelli said he was not sure how many copies the novel had sold, but added that bookshops had told him it was among the stronger-selling works of fiction locally.

The author will also serve as an executive producer on the series and said he had already been involved in the research process.

The Order is a work of historical fiction rooted in extensive research into the Order of St John, Malta and the political and military context of the 1565 siege.

Portelli said he spent two years researching the novel, which was published in 2023, and was helped by historian and retired judge Giovanni Bonello, who reviewed his work.

History researcher Arnold Cassola was also part of the research team.

Set against the backdrop of the Great Siege, Portelli’s novel follows the political and military tensions surrounding the Order of St John as Grand Master Jean de Valette prepares Malta for an Ottoman attack. The book combines historical figures with fictional characters, placing the siege within a wider story of power, loyalty, intrigue and survival.

Poliakoff, whose television work includes Perfect Strangers and Shooting the Past, described the story as “the extraordinary collision of politics, faith, ambition and survival at a moment when the fate of nations hung in the balance”.

“It’s a story of people navigating immense pressures and impossible choices, set against one of the most dramatic periods in history,” he said.

For Malta, the adaptation marks a rare attempt to bring one of the country’s best-known historical episodes to a large-scale international television audience.

Grech said the project reflected the type of international drama Malta was increasingly seeking to attract and support.

“We are proud to be working with Stephen Poliakoff, Peter Portelli, Helen Flint, Neil Chordia and their teams on a project that brings together exceptional creative talent with Malta’s unique history, locations and production expertise,” he said.

Helen Flint, CEO and executive producer of Little Island Productions, said Poliakoff has “an extraordinary ability to bring pivotal moments in history to life through deeply human stories”.

She described The Order as “a compelling and ruthless political thriller with remarkable scale and ambition”, adding that the story was driven by “character, intrigue and the human consequences of power”.

Neil Chordia, executive producer for Hopefield, said the drama has “all the ingredients of a compelling international drama”, including “a remarkable true historical backdrop” and political intrigue.

He said Malta was central to the project, with its geography and architecture helping to bring “a fascinating chapter of history” to life.

The announcement comes as Malta continues to promote itself as a film and television production hub. Recent years have seen the island market its locations, water tanks, historic streetscapes and production incentives to overseas studios and streamers.