Ten10, Le Boxeur take nuclear option

London-based prodco Ten10 Films and Amsterdam-based Le Boxeur Films have acquired rights to a true story about the theft of nuclear secrets in the 1970s.

Joris van Wijk

The two firms are developing a limited drama series based on the life story of Dutch whistleblower Frits Veerman, who worked for a British/German/Dutch uranium enrichment programme in the 1970s and was a colleague of Pakistani scientist Dr AQ Khan, who turned out to be a spy.

Veerman repeatedly reported Khan to the authorities but was ignored, which allowed Khan to escape with nuclear blueprints and centrifuge parts stolen from his Amsterdam workplace. Khan went on to build a nuclear bomb for Pakistan with the stolen data.

The show, also called The Man Who Stole the Bomb, is being written by Nadeem Rajwani and produced by Le Boxeur Films founder Joris van Wijk and Ten10 founder Tendeka Matatu. Discussions with potential financing partners are underway.

Van Wijk said: “We’re honoured that Frits has entrusted us with his remarkable story, I have had the privilege of getting to know him over the last six months; his relationship with Khan was one of a genuine friendship that was masterfully manipulated and spectacularly betrayed.”

Ten10 Films currently has other TV projects in development with Fremantle and Sony Pictures Television. Its neo-noir thriller Cold Harbour is due for release on Netflix in October.

Van Wijk recently set up Le Boxeur to develop and produce character-driven series and features set against socially and politically relevant backgrounds.