French filmmaker Romain Gavras is set to direct a film adaptation of the Louvre heist, in which thieves stole $102 million in jewels from the museum in broad daylight. The film will be based on the book "Main Basse sur le Louvre" (A Grab at the Louvre), released Wednesday in France by publisher Flammarion, written by journalists from Le Parisien, Le Monde, and Paris Match. Film rights were sold to Iconoclast, the production company behind Harmony Korine films and Gavras's previous works like "Athena" (2022). A separate documentary series about the heist is also in development with a British producer.
The story matters because it turns a high-profile, real-life art crime—one of the most audacious museum robberies in recent history—into a major cinematic project, reflecting ongoing public fascination with art theft and the intersection of crime, luxury, and cultural institutions. It also highlights the growing trend of adapting true-crime art-world stories for film and television, and underscores the commercial viability of such narratives in the entertainment industry.