Morbius’ Daniel Espinosa to Helm Jamal Khashoggi Murder Biopic

Daniel Espinosa to helm Jamal Khashoggi murder biopic

Good Films Collective has begun putting together a number of projects with big names attached to them, including a biopic focused on the murder of Saudi Arabian-born dissident Jamal Khashoggi with Daniel Espinosa (Morbius) attached to direct, according to Deadline.

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The film, entitled The Execution, will be a “narrative drama” focused on the background events leading to the murder of Khashoggi, who was a Washington Post columnist killed and dismembered after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to get a marriage license and will explore the motives behind the murder and the aftermath of his death.

The project is set to be penned by Kon Tiki screenwriter Petter Skavlan and directed by Espinosa, with Good Films Collective head Miriam Segal set to produce the project for her independent studio.

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After making his debut in 2010 with the critically acclaimed crime thriller, Easy Money, Espinosa made his English-language debut with the 2012 action thriller Safe House starring Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 2) and Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy), which opened to mixed reviews and a strong box office return and was initially set to return for a sequel that has since languished in development hell. After following it up with the historical thriller flop Child 44, Espinosa returned to big budget fare with the 2017 sci-fi horror Life, reuniting him with Reynolds, which received generally positive reviews from critics and a modest box office return.

His next effort comes in the form of the next installment in Sony’s Marvel Universe, Morbius, starring Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as the titular Marvel vampiric antihero, which is currently set for a March 19, 2021 release.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)