The Louvre Heist Is Coming to a Cinema Near You

A film adaptation is planned for last year’s Louvre Museum crown-jewel heist, in which thieves stole jewels worth over $100 million in broad daylight. French publishing house Flammarion will base the production on the investigative book Main basse sur le Louvre (2026), co-written by journalists from Le Parisien, Le Monde, and Paris Match. French director Romain Gavras will direct, and film rights were sold before the book’s release. Documentary rights were also sold to a British producer. The adaptation is announced before five suspects face trial, and the stolen jewels are still at large. The Louvre is making major changes to address structural failures, including the use of a stolen basket lift and brute force in the Apollo Gallery.

"Last year's infamous jewel heist at the Louvre Museum, during which a brazen group of thieves made off with France's crown jewels worth over $100 million in broad daylight, is set for a film adaptation amid the ongoing investigation. French publishing house Flammarion stated to local media outlets that the production will take inspiration from the brand-new investigative book, Main basse sur le Louvre (2026), co-written by journalists at Le Parisien, Le Monde, and Paris Match."

"French director Romain Gavras will take the heist to the big screen as Flammarion sold the film rights to the production company before the book even hit the shelves. Gavras's recent productions include the 2025 action-comedy film Sacrifice and the 2022 drama film Athena, but the director is best known for working on iconic music videos such as M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls" (2012), Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" (2012), and Jamie XX's "Gosh" (2016)."

"News of the adaptation comes before any of the five heist suspects facing charges have gone to trial. (Such is also the case for alleged United Healthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, who is the subject of two documentaries and one book.) The crown jewels remain at large since they were stolen last October. While the investigation into the heist continues to unfold, the Louvre is undergoing some major changes to address the failures and oversights that may have facilitated the heist, which the thieves carried out using a stolen basket lift and brute force in the Apollo Gallery in broad daylight."

Read at Hyperallergic