Another film to be made about ‘Israeli spy’ Ashraf Marwan
Documentary to be based on book ‘The Spy Who Fell to Earth’
By AMY SPIROJASON ISAACS (right) and Ori Pfeffer on the set of 'Dig.' (photo credit: RONEN AKERMAN/USA NETWORK)
The mystery of the death of Ashraf Marwan in 2007 has never been solved. And now there is not one, but two upcoming films that seek to tell the tale of the Egyptian billionaire who supposedly spied for the State of Israel.Back in July, Netflix announced it would be producing a thriller about the story based on Uri Bar-Joseph’s book The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel, which was published last year.And on Monday, Salon Pictures – which produced the war drama Churchill released earlier this year – said it will be creating a feature documentary about Marwan and his mysterious death. The documentary will be based on The Spy Who Fell to Earth, a book by Ahron Bregman which was also published last year. Bregman was the man who first claimed Marwan had spied for Israel, and the two later became friends. They were supposed to meet on the day Marwan’s body was discovered. Marwan, the son-in-law of former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, was found after he fell from the balcony of his fifth-floor apartment in London. While many believe he was murdered, no suspect has ever been named.According to Deadline.com, an online infotainment magazine, the documentary, The Spy Who Fell to Earth, will be directed by Tom Meadmore, who recently created The Cancer Conflict.The Netflix drama, which will be called The Angel and directed by Israeli Ariel Vromen, is expected to premiere globally on Netflix next year. The film was shot in London, Morocco and Bulgaria and completed in August.Marwan is portrayed by Dutch-Tunisian actor Marwan Kenzari, and Israeli actors Sasson Gabai (The Band’s Visit) and Ori Pfeffer (Hacksaw Ridge) also joined the cast. The film was shot in Arabic, Hebrew and English.