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Jake Gyllenhaal to star in Swedish helicopter heist film

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Jake Gyllenhaal to star in Swedish helicopter heist film
Gyllenhaal (left) and a CCTV image of the real helicopter heist (right). Photo: Ettore Ferrari/AP & Polisen

Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in a Netflix-produced Hollywood film about an audacious helicopter heist that saw millions in cash stolen from a Stockholm bank depot, the publishing agent tasked with selling the rights to the movie has confirmed.

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The incident, which took place in 2009 in Västberga, saw four men storm a banknote storage facility with the aid of a helicopter drop, resulting in the theft of over 39 million kronor ($5.3 million).

Three men were dropped onto the roof of the G4S building in southern Stockholm by an accomplice piloting a stolen helicopter.

They smashed a window on the roof, then used explosives to force their way through the building, before exiting with sacks of cash. Police response efforts were slowed down by a bag marked with the word "bomb" which was placed at their helicopter base.

The loot was deposited by the robbers in multiple drop-offs, and the helicopter was abandoned north of Stockholm.

Seven men in total were convicted for being involved in the planning and execution of the elaborate robbery, including eight-year prison sentences for three of the key figures.

The forthcoming film will be based on a soon-to-be-released book about the robbery by Swedish author Jonas Bonnier. The former head of the Bonnier publishing group interviewed four of the robbers in detail for an inside account of what happened.

Bonnier’s publishing agent Niclas Salomonsson confirmed to Swedish news agency TT that the film rights to the book have now been sold.

"I’ve just arrived home from Los Angeles where I sold the rights," he said.

"He (Gyllenhaal) read the book and got excited about it. Jake feels completely right, and I’m really happy," he added.

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