Gareth Evans, who made a name for himself earlier this year as the writer/director of the martial arts actioner The Raid, has lined up a new project in Breaking the Bank. Deadline says that Evans will tackle the true story with Universal Pictures.
Based on a Sports Illustrated article of the same name by Jon Wertheim and a subsequent book by Howard Sounes, “Heist: The Inside Story of the World’s Biggest Robbert,” Breaking the Bank was planned, some years ago, as a Darren Aronofsky film (under the title Heist). The Sounes book is officially described as follow:
On 22 February 2006, £53 million was stolen from a cash warehouse belonging to the Securitas company in Tonbridge, Kent. In terms of value, the robbery puts previous British capers, such as the Great Train Robbery, in the shade. This was a crime notable for its audacity, carried out by an unlikely crew of players that included a used car salesman, two Albanian casual workers and a roofer. Five men were convicted at the Old Bailey in January 2008, which attracted nationwide media coverage. A sixth man, Paul Allen, was sentenced in October 2009 for his part. Having become close to the Tonbridge gang and the police during three years of research, Sounes relates a classic crime caper in irresistible, almost forensic detail. After the robbery comes the exciting, sometimes comical story of the getaway. Money is found and arrests are made but key characters slip out of the country, and millions of pounds are still missing.
Evans, who also has plans to direct two sequels to The Raid, will produce Breaking the Bank with XYZ Films.
