05 June 2020; MEMO: A new feature film set around the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is to be directed by Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa, entitled “The Execution” named after the incident at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, where the Washington Post columnist was last seen, having been killed and likely dismembered by agents with direct links to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).
Deadline reports that Good Films Collective has signed a deal with Espinosa to “develop to direct” the film which “will explore how [Khashoggi’s assassination] happened, why it happened, and what happened in the aftermath”.
Norwegian screenwriter, Petter Skavlan, who wrote the Oscar-nominated film “Kon-Tiki” is also reported to be working on the project.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Khashoggi’s killing was ordered at the “highest levels” of the Saudi government, implicating MBS who has denied ordering the killing but acknowledged that it happened “under his watch”. A report by the UN and the CIA also concluded that MBS was behind the assassination.
Last month, during the holy month of Ramadan, it was reported that Khashoggi’s family had forgiven his killers, however his fiancée Hatice Cengiz publicly rejected the move by Khashoggi’s sons, saying “no one has the right to pardon his killers” and has maintained her and others’ quest for justice for the slain journalist.
