Is Black Crab starring Noomi Rapace based on a true story?

Many Netflix movies and shows are based on true stories or adapted from novels, so it’s understandable that fans would question whether the newest thriller Black Crab has any truth in reality or if it is an entirely fictional story.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Black Crab.

Starring Noomi Rapace, Black Crab is a Swedish film directed and written by Adam Berg. Pelle Rådström co-wrote the screenplay. The movie follows a dangerous operation in which six soldiers are enlisted to transport mysterious cargo across a frozen archipelago, hoping its contents can end a war that has destroyed most of the world. Below we’ll get into whether or not this movie is based on something that happened in real life or even a novel.

Is Black Crab based on a true story?

No, Black Crab does not appear to be based on a true story. However, there is some truth to the threat of viruses contained in vials causing fear and panic. In 2021 six vials labeled “smallpox” were discovered in a laboratory. Luckily, the CDC tested the contents and found they did not contain any traces of the virus known to cause smallpox.

As for soldiers skating across the ice to transport cargo, I didn’t find anything linking that to a real event or story, but I’m sure there were incidences where things like that occurred, if not during a war, then in other dire circumstances. But overall, it looks like Berg and Rådström based the bulk of their script on different source material.

Is Black Crab based on a book?

Yes! The movie is based on a book by Swedish author Jerker Virdborg. The book is titled Black Crab, or “Svart Krabba.” It doesn’t appear to be translated to English at this time. It is a dystopian war novel with science fiction themes.

Watch Black Crab on Netflix.