Only weeks after the death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, his story has already been optioned by Hollywood. Yes, Warner Bros have snapped up the rights to a yet-to-be-written book, snappily entitled “Sasha’s Story: The Life and Death of a Russian Spy”, with Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil production company lined up to develop the film.
For those who you recently returned from Mars (welcome back!), Litvinenko was a former KGB agent who died in London in late November last year, having been poisoned with the radioactive compound polonium-210. Before he died, he named Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime as responsible for his death – a charge the regime denies – and opened a whole can of worms about what he was doing and who with.
Yes, it’s like one of those films about the Cold War – think Munich but more Russian. No, you can’t get poisoned with polonium-210 just by watching the film. Yes, we’re pretty sure that Johnny Depp is radiation free.
The book is to be written by Alan Cowell, head of the London office of the New York Times and one of the chief correspondents on the story since it broke. It will document Litvinenko’s life and career prior to the poisoning, as well as his last days. Cowell’s still covering the story, but plans to take leave soon to write the book, ready for publication later in the year.
So will Depp star? Well, maybe. Infinitum Nihil does develop potential starring vehicles for the sometime Jack Sparrow, and he has apparently been following the story very closely. Watch this space for further news.