News > Celeb > Johnny Depp to Develop Alexander Litvinenko Story

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FRIDAY JANUARY 12 2007 3:00 PM

Johnny Depp to Develop Alexander Litvinenko Story

Submitted by Rahodeb

Edited by erin_broadley

Tags: Alexander Litvinenko, Johnny Depp, Radiation, KGB, Putin

Johnny Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, will develop a project based on the radiation poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, former KGB agent who blamed Vladimir Putin for his death. The rights to Sasha's Story: The Life and Death of a Russian Spya book about Litvinenko that is being written by New York Times London bureau chief Alan Cowellhave been picked up by Warner Brothers on behalf of Depp's company. No word yet on whether Depp plans to star as Litvinenko, who died in London on November 23, 2006.

Litvinenko was a colonel in the Federal Security Service, FSB, the domestic successor to the KGB, who became highly critical of some of his superiors. He is well known for accusing FSB agents of involvement in apartment building bombings in 1999 that killed more than 300 people. Russian officials blamed the attacks on separatists from Chechnya and launched a new military offensive in the republic.

Comments

hadees

Austin, TX

December 2003

JAN 12, 2007 05:55 PM

Why would they option a book that hasn't even been finished yet. Couldn't they have just optioned the film rights directly from Litvinenko's family?

Jennifer_

Venezuela

November 2006

JAN 13, 2007 03:28 AM

This sounds like it could be a really good film ... and it's impressive that Depp isn't worried about making it, given that the Russian government killed two of the journalists investigating the apartment bombings, and passed a law last summer allowing them to asassinate anyone they want.
I'm sure his high profile will mean that he's safe, but it's still a pretty adventurous thing to do.

OctEgon

Tustin, CA

July 2005

JAN 13, 2007 11:46 AM

hadees said:
Why would they option a book that hasn't even been finished yet. Couldn't they have just optioned the film rights directly from Litvinenko's family?

Mostly because it's just "based" on his life story, which is owned by the Author. (kind of creepy, huh?) They can change whatever they want in the film. Add some robots here, ninjas there, whatever you want really.

It's just the part about selling the movie as being based on the Spy's life and using his name that's important.

infernodragyn

Minneapolis, MN

January 2004

JAN 13, 2007 04:21 PM

Seems there is going to be a rival movie production based on the same guy but a different book, Death of a Dissident, headed by Michael Mann.

Martini

SUICIDEGIRL

Ontario, Canada

JAN 13, 2007 05:43 PM

OctEgon said:

hadees said:
Why would they option a book that hasn't even been finished yet. Couldn't they have just optioned the film rights directly from Litvinenko's family?

uh, you forgot pirates.

xo