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Streaming service Netflix said on Tuesday it had acquired the
rights to a book written by two German investigative journalists
and was turning it into a feature movie to be produced by John
Wells.
It is the second proposed movie on the scandal that thrust tax
havens and transparency into the spotlight after the details of
hundreds of thousands of clients' tax affairs were leaked from
Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca in April by an anonymous
whistleblower.
American director Steven Soderbergh is also producing a movie
about the scandal based on a different book, the upcoming
"Secrecy World" by U.S. reporter Jake Bernstein, Hollywood
industry publications reported earlier this month.
The Netflix film will be based on the account of German
journalists Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, the first
to break the story. Netflix said it had acquired exclusive
rights to their June book "Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of
How the World's Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money."
Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix, said in a
statement he was confident the movie would "deliver a gripping
tale." The International Consortium of Journalists, whose
members also worked to bring the Panama Papers to the public,
are also collaborating on the film.
Wells is the producer and director of movies and TV shows
including "The West Wing" and "August: Osage County." The
movie's director, release date and casting are yet to be
announced.
The Netflix project is the latest foray by the streaming giant
into original movie production following the success of its
original TV content, including award-winning shows like "House
of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black."
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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