Alchemy nabs Anthony Hopkins crime thriller “Kidnapping Mr. Heineken”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Alchemy has acquired the crime thriller “Kidnapping Mr. Heineken,” starring Anthony Hopkins, Jim Sturgess, Sam Worthington and Ryan Kwanten, and set a March 6 release date for theaters and VOD, Variety reports.

It’s the first deal for Alchemy since it rebranded itself last week and ditched the Millennium Entertainment label. The acquisition of the film is expected to be the first of several upcoming projects with producer Informant Media, which produced “Crazy Heart,” “Hysteria,” “Erased” and “Stuck in Love.”

Swedish director Daniel Alfredson, who helmed “The Girl Who Played With Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” shot the film in Belgium, Amsterdam and New Orleans. Producers are Informant Media partners Judy Cairo and Michael A. Simpson.

The film chronicles the 1983 kidnapping of Dutch beer magnate Freddy Heineken and his driver Ab Doderer. The two were released after payment of a record ransom of 35 million Dutch guilders — currently equivalent to $50 million. The kidnappers were eventually caught.

The screenplay, written by U.K.-based William Brookfield (“Rough Magic”), is based on Peter R. de Vries’ book, which has been on top of the Netherlands bestsellers list for more than two decades.