Netflix to make film about Norwegian terrorist Breivik
August 22, 2017
Director Paul Greengrass will not only direct, but has also written the upcoming film about Breivik's right-wing terror attack in Norway in 2011. Hollywood observers deadline.com and Variety reported Monday that Netflix had, amidst steep competition, snagged the rights to the picture.
The film is poised to be a true horror story, depicting Norway's deadliest attack since World War II. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik first killed eight people in Oslo on July 22, 2011, before traveling to Utoya Island outside of Oslo and systematically murdering dozens more people at a Labor Party Youth Camp.
Another 319 people were injured in the attack, and many teens were among the victims. Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Read more: Norway's top court rejects appeal by mass-murderer Breivik
Greengrass, who will be supported by co-producers Greg Goodman and Eli Bush, is known for portraying real-life events in his films.
His "Bloody Sunday" (2002) about the 1972 shootings in Northern Ireland won a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, while "United 93" (2006) about one of the airplanes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks earned him a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination.
He is also behind "Green Zone" about the 2003 invasion of Iraq and "Captain Philipps," starring Tom Hanks and depicting the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking.
Greengrass is perhaps best known for directing three films in the "Bourne" action/thriller series with Matt Damon in the lead.
Deadline.com reported that filming Greengrass' latest project is set to begin this fall in Norway with a budget of $20 million.