Netflix continues to bolster its original programming slate with a new film that is definitely not starring Adam Sandler. The streaming channel has discovered its viewers will eat up any fact-based story, so it has high hopes for its project about the Panama Papers, the biggest leak of data in corporate and governmental history.
As reported by Deadline, Netflix will be working with German investigative journalists Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, who broke the Panama Papers story. And they have also acquired the rights to the journalist’s book Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the World’s Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money to aid them.
The Panama Papers breach uncovered more than 11 million documents that alleged illegal offshore activities by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. Some of the docs even go back as far as the 1970s. What makes this story ripe for a film adaptation is the list of people that were involved with the activities. Among those connected to the activities — even without any wrongdoing themselves — were Jackie Chan, filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, and Emma Watson. Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson even set up an offshore account for himself and resigned shortly thereafter.
This new film seems to be the second one that is tackling the subject. It was announced earlier this month director Steven Soderbergh would be making a Panama Papers film based off the upcoming book, The Secrecy World, by Jake Bernstein. Soderbergh was only thought to be a producer on the picture, but he may have decided to come out of retirement to tackle the subject.
This is not the first time dual journalist-based stories have competed to go into production. There were a number of WikiLeaks films in the production phase, but The Fifth Estate was the only one to make it to theaters. But who knows, both could both be good in their own right, as the success of Spotlight showed, viewers love a good “based on a true story” movie.
(Via Deadline)