Sir Anthony Hopkins will star as a kidnapping victim in Kidnapping Freddy Heineken, based on the actual abduction of the grandson of Heineken Brewery founder, Gerald Heineken. Kidnapping Freddy Heineken comes from the director of the Swedish adaptations of The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Daniel Alfredson. The cast will also include Sam Worthington (Avatar), Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Mark Van Eeuwen, and Tom Cocquerel, though their roles have not been announced.
The real life Freddy Heineken was kidnapped along with his driver, Ab Doderer, in 1983 with a ransom set at 35 million Dutch guilders (about $50 million by today’s standards), the highest amount ever paid. The five kidnappers were eventually caught and convicted.
Alfredson’s film comes from a screenplay by William Brookfield based on a book about the kidnapping by Peter R. de Vries. Informant Media will produce and Embankment Films will handle international distribution. An earlier film of the kidnapping was released in October of 2011.
Those wishing to see the roles reversed on Anthony Hopkins, an actor best known for playing a charismatic villain, will not have long to wait for this one as shooting will begin later this month.
Leave a Comment