Television’s insatiable maw will be filled with a dramatized account of the Achille Lauro tragedy later this year.
According to the news reports here, the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship by Palestinian terrorists will be made into a three-hour, two-part mini-series.
It will be an international venture, jointly produced by RAI, the Italian state television; France’s TF-1; Beta-Taurus of West Germany; and the Tribune Network, which is American.
The estimated cost for the series is $10 million.
Alberto Negrin, who will direct, was quoted by II Messaggero as saying the production will recount the affair as faithfully as possible.
“Our script was based on all the articles written and, above all, on the interrogations and court documents in Genoa,” he said. But he added, “This does not mean that it will be an investigative or documentary film.”
The Achille Lauro was seized by terrorists in Egyptian waters in October 1985. One of its passengers, Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly American Jew confined to a wheelchair, was shot to death and thrown into the sea.
Leading roles for the TV special will include Klinghoffer; the young terrorist who murdered him; Mohammed (Abul) Abbas, the Palestinian who masterminded the hijacking; and Yasir Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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