Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is to make a blockbuster about thieves who pulled off a brazen heist at a Dubai mall.
The movie will show how Eastern European crooks rammed stolen cars into Wafi mall in broad daylight and made off with millions of dirhams in diamonds.
Boyle is basing the thriller on ‘Smash and Grab’, a documentary about the Pink Panther diamond gang, in which the daring Wafi robbery forms the central crime.
The gang, whose members are mostly from Eastern Europe, got away with at least Dhs14 million worth of diamonds from the Graff jewellery store after crashing stolen cars through Wafi’s doors in broad daylight in 2007.
‘Smash and Grab’ director Havana Marking, who will work on the Boyle movie, recently described the Wafi heist as “stunning”.
She travelled to Dubai to make the documentary and will be a consultant for Boyle in the thriller, which will show how the gang escaped war-torn Yugoslavia to lead an action-packed and glamorous life thanks to their diamond heists around the world.
Boyle’s film will also feature the worldwide manhunt for the 30-member gang, who stole diamonds and jewellery worth more than Dhs1 billion in raids across the globe.
It is not yet known when production for the movie will begin.
Major film companies Pathe, Cloud Eight Films and Fox Searchlight have already signed up to co-finance Boyle’s movie, according to film magazine, Variety.
Fox Searchlight is also set to serve as a distributor. The firm has served as a distributor on every Boyle film since 28 Days Later in 2002.
7DAYS was unable to reach any of the companies for comment yesterday.
This is Boyle’s second crime thriller after the recent movie, ‘Trance’. He is already well known for his huge success with ‘Trainspotting’, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘28 Days Later’ and other global hits.
The film announcement comes just months after Dubai Police said that one of the Audi cars used in the Wafi heist will be on display at the new Dubai Police museum.
The police also released an action-packed animated movie showing how the crime was carried out.
