I’m sure you all remember the story of the mysterious death of Russian KJB agent Alexander Litvinenko who was poisoned in London late last year. Well Warner Brothers, not wanting to miss out on a good conspiracy story, have already purchased the film rights to shoot a movie based on the upcoming book Sasha’s Story: The Life and Death of a Russian Spy.

Variety report that Johnny Depp will be producing the film, with a possible eye in starring in the picture. More info from the site…

In London, the investigation continues into the death of Litvinenko, who was poisoned in late November by polonium-210. Just before his death, he blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime for the murder. Story has become one of the most mysterious and perplexing crimes of the post-Cold War era, triggering an international investigation led by the U.K.’s top counterterrorism officials.

Cowell, who has reported extensively on British intelligence services, will document Litvinenko’s life and poisoning, as well as address the implications of the case for nuclear proliferation and international terrorism.

This has been a fascinating “real life James Bond” story to follow over the last couple of months, with still no-one anywhere near finding out the whole truth of what happened to the guy.

My guess will be that this movie won’t be made for 2-3 years until the investigation is fully completed. Rights to books like these are picked up all the time (I think Depp has a library full of rights to certain projects) but one thing is for sure, it could be a real powerful and intriguing film.

source – filmstalker, variety