A dramatic new TV series will bring to life the explosive sibling rivalry that led to the founding of Adidas and Puma in the same German town during the 1940s. The project, announced on Sunday, will be based on material from the Dassler family archives and is being developed by the Hollywood production company No Fat Ego, with the support of Adidas founder Adi Dassler’s descendants.
The story will center on one of the most iconic family feuds in business history, highlighting how brothers Adolf “Adi” Dassler and Rudolf “Rudi” Dassler, who once co-managed a family shoe business, ended up bitter rivals. Their split during World War II not only gave birth to two global sportswear giants but also divided their hometown of Herzogenaurach — a division that still lingers today.
Leading the writing is Ozark creator Mark Williams, who is currently digging into the family’s home videos and memorabilia to craft the narrative. “Everyone knows the brands, but the personal story behind them remains largely unknown,” Williams said at the Cannes Film Festival.
A particularly delicate aspect of the series will be portraying the brothers’ roles during the Nazi era. Both were members of the party in the 1930s — a common move for German businessmen at the time. Rudi served in the military and was captured by Allied forces, while Adi stayed behind to keep the company running. Their factory was later seized and repurposed as a munitions plant during the war.
The upcoming series is described as a multi-generational family drama in the vein of HBO’s Succession, mixing personal conflict, ambition, and legacy.
Producer Niels Juul, known for his work with director Martin Scorsese, was initially drawn to the story after learning about Adidas’s early support of Black American sprinter Jesse Owens, who wore their shoes during the 1936 Berlin Olympics — a moment that defied Nazi racial propaganda.
No Fat Ego plans to maintain full creative independence as they develop the show before pitching it to major streaming platforms. “We want Mark to have the space and freedom to tell the story his way,” Juul said.
by AFP
