Vladimir Putin is not going to be at this film opening night. It appears a movie based on the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko is in the works. We get the scoop from The Observer:
Johnny Depp is lined up to play murdered Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in the film of a book that still has no ending, his widow told reporters at the Cannes film festival yesterday.
Marina Litvinenko was at the festival for the showing of a controversial documentary about the death of her husband, who was poisoned with a radioactive substance in London last year. Rebellion: the Litvinenko Affair was directed by a close friend of the former spy and in effect accuses the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, of organizing the murder, as well as of embezzling humanitarian funds and laundering profits from the mafia.The film has already been bought by distributors across Europe. Warner Bros has acquired the film rights for Marina Litvinenko’s book and American director Michael Mann, known for The Last of The Mohicans and Heat, is being tipped as a likely director.
This was a frightening news story and to be honest I am surprised it is being made so soon after the incident occurred. I remember reading about this in the news and thinking to myself “holy fuck this is some James Bond shit.” Using radiation as a means to assassinate seems a little over the top and messy as far as I am concerned. I think straight up poison would have been more appropriate and less harmful to others that were not the intended target. That being said, it is a pretty blatant and insulting way to kill a former spy. You kill someone like this when you want him to die slowly and dwell on his impending doom.
This project already has heavyweight players on board, Litvinenko’s wife, Johnny Depp, and Michael Mann means this thing is not only going to be a popular movie, but it should also be a very good one. If they wanted to get the word out for vengeance against Putin, this looks like it will be a good way to do it. Whenever you kill someone you always have to consider the Obi-Wan factor; will their message be stronger in death than in life? Darth Putin will soon find out.
