Despite having directed the Swedish versions of The Girl Who Played with Fire and its sequel The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Daniel Alfredson has yet to make a name for himself here in America as his brother, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy helmer Tomas Alfredson. That could be about to change as he recently signed on to direct Anthony Hopkins in Kidnapping Freddy Heineken, a true crime story about the famous beer mogul. And now with filming set to begin later this month, an impressive trio of young stars has come aboard.
Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Jim Sturgess, and Sam Worthington have joined the film in unspecified roles, but perhaps the story it depicts will clue us in. Based on the best-selling book by Peter L. de Vries, the film centers on the 1983 kidnapping of Alfred "Freddy" Heineken and his driver, leading to a whopping ransom payout of 35 million Dutch guilders, which is about $50M today. Hopkins will play Heineken, and it can probably be assumed that at least a couple of the new additions will play his kidnappers. The high-profile story continues to be talked about in the Netherlands, with de Vries' book remaining on the charts there for the last 20 years. An investigative journalist, it was de Vries who found where one of the kidnappers had been hiding for years after escaping from prison.
Kidnapping Freddy Heineken is expect to hit theaters next year.
