And a documentary on Videoland
Netflix has a nose for bizarre situations and now wants to make a film about the Apple Store hostage crisis in Amsterdam. It is a Dutch Netflix Original with the writer of Baantjer and Sleepers on board, Simon de Waal.
Apple hostage situation
Two years ago, our capital was shocked by a serious hostage crisis. The area around the impressive Apple Store in Amsterdam was completely cordoned off and there was only an Albert Heijn delivery car, which the perpetrator had used to get to the location. The images of how the police ultimately deliberately drove into the perpetrator are still known to many people, partly because juice channels did not hesitate for a second to release them into the world. Something the police were not happy with at the time.
It was a terrible situation, but at the same time it is easy to imagine why Netflix wants to make a movie out of this. Fortunately, there were no innocent victims, because that is miraculous considering the man came in with explosives and weapons. People hid in the store and had to wait for hours to see what their fate would be. Fortunately, they could be saved and the perpetrator – who demanded 200 million euros in crypto – was hit by a car, after which he died a short time later.
Real crime
The film adaptation of the hostage situation will be written by De Waal, but Bobby Boermans, with whom he previously worked, will be there to direct it. Boermans is known from Mocro Mafia: it is clear, this will be a real crime film. Soufiane Moussouli plays the leading role of the 27-year-old hostage taker and Marcel Hensema, Loes Haverkort, Emmanuel Ohene Boafo and Louis Talpe can also be seen in the film. Soufiane previously played in Popoz and is seen as an up-and-coming talent in Hillywood.
The film promises to highlight different perspectives of the story: from the perpetrator to the hostages, but also the care providers. What is interesting about this is that Simon de Waal does not only write screenplays: his day job is that of a serious crime detective at the Amsterdam police. An imposing man, who knows how it works and can therefore probably create a very realistic picture of what happened that evening for the 70 hostages, the hostage taker and the many officers who were at the crime scene to provide help.
It will take some time before the film appears on the streaming service: it is expected in 2025. However, there will be a documentary about the hostage situation at Videoland on February 22 this year, exactly two years after it happened.
