‘Macbeth’ Helmer Justin Kurzel To Direct Thriller About 2008 Terrorist Attacks On The Taj Hotel

'Macbeth' Helmer Justin Kurzel To Direct Thriller About 2008 Terrorist Attacks On The Taj Hotel

By Kevin Jagernauth

'Macbeth' Helmer Justin Kurzel Direct Thriller About 2008 Terrorist Attacks On The Taj Hotel

Kevin Jagernauth

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Whenever tragedy strikes, dramatizations as such in the media aren’t far behind —though it’s taken a few years, the 2008 terror attacks on The Taj Hotel are getting retold on the big screen. Nicolas Saada unveiled his take on the story with “Taj Mahal” featuring “Nymphomaniac” star Stacy Martin this year on the festival circuit, but it didn’t get a great reception (read our review). So “Macbeth” and “The Snowtown Murders” director Justin Kurzel may fare better when he takes on the same subject matter.

Deadline reports that Kurzel will helm an adaptation of Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark’s “The Siege: 68 Hours Inside The Taj Hotel.” Anthony McCarten (“The Theory Of Everything“) will pen the screenplay for the project, which the trade says will be along the lines of Paul Greengrass‘ “Captain Phillips” and Ridley Scott‘s “Black Hawk Down.” Here’s the book synopsis:

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Mumbai, 2008. On the night of November 26, Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists attacked targets throughout the city, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, one of the world’s most exclusive luxury hotels. For sixty-eight hours, hundreds were held hostage as shots rang out and an enormous fire raged. When the smoke cleared, thirty-one people were dead and many more had been injured. Only the courageous actions of staff and guests—including Mallika Jagad, Bob Nichols, and Taj general manager Binny Kang—prevented a much higher death toll.

With a deep understanding of the region and its politics and a narrative flair reminiscent of Midnight in Peking, journalists Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy vividly unfold the tragic events in a real-life thriller filled with suspense, tragedy, history, and heroism.

Kurzel is currently shooting “Assassin’s Creed” with his “Macbeth” duo Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, with the Taj Hotel flick slated to go next. I guess the psychological thriller “Haven” will have to wait.