From the first moments of that the wider world became aware of it, the story of the Hatton Garden robbery, in London, appeared to be a natural for a cinema adaptation. Now, days after guilty verdicts were handed down to three key figures in the heist, a movie version is up and running.
According to Screen International, a film with the working title The Hatton Garden Job has gone into production. It is backed by the UK outfit Metrodome, which previously developed and released hooligan/gangster yarn The Guvnors.
No details of director and cast have been announced, but the script has been written by Simon Cluett, whose writing credits include Age of Kill and Bonded By Blood 2.
The priority of producers is to establish how many details they are able to directly base on real events. Metrodome’s managing director Jezz Vernon told Screen International: “We’re currently deep in the legal process to find out what we can and can’t include in the film. There are a lot of allegations on both sides of the law about additional involvement and wrongdoing that are not in the public domain, and probably never will be, so we’re going through the final stages of legal advice as we speak.”
Four men – Brian Reader, 76; John Collins, 74; Daniel Jones, 58; and Terry Perkins, 67 – were considered the ringleaders of what has been called “the biggest burglary in English legal history”, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle with intent. The raid took place over Easter weekend in April 2015.
