The audacious theft that shocked the art world is moving from the crime blotter to the silver screen. French publishing house Flammarion has confirmed the sale of audiovisual rights to the investigative book 'Main basse sur le Louvre' (Hands on the Louvre), which reconstructs the lightning-fast heist at the world's most visited museum.

The cinematic adaptation

French filmmaker Romain Gavras, known for the Hollywood film 'Sacrifice' and the explosive Netflix drama 'Athena', is set to direct the feature film. Production company Iconoclast has acquired the rights for the movie, while a British producer has secured the rights for a separate documentary series. No title, casting, or release date has been announced for either project.

The heist

On the morning of October 19, 2025, four men from Seine-Saint-Denis exploited ongoing construction work near the Seine to access the Louvre. Using a freight elevator, they infiltrated the museum and, armed with cutting tools, smashed through glass to reach the Apollo Gallery. In just eight minutes, they seized imperial tiaras, diamond and emerald necklaces, historic earrings, and a brooch linked to Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Eugénie. The total haul was valued at 88 million euros, though its cultural heritage value is considered inestimable. The thieves escaped on motorcycles toward the A6 highway. No shots were fired and no one was injured.

“After the fashion of armored van attacks, after that of bank robberies, the criminal underworld has found a new cash cow.”

The investigation and aftermath

The brazen robbery triggered an international shock and a security crisis within the Louvre, ultimately leading to the replacement of the museum's president, Laurence des Cars, earlier this year. The main suspects were arrested after a seven-month investigation, but the jewels have never been recovered. The authors describe the hunt for the missing treasure as having become 'a thick enigma, a puzzle that plunges investigators into the most total incomprehension.'

A story made for the screen

The book, co-written by journalists Jean-Michel Décugis (Le Parisien), Jérémie Pham-Lê (Le Monde), and Nicolas-Charles Torrent (Paris Match), was released on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. It explores how four friends managed to bypass the security systems of the largest museum in the world and questions why the Louvre's management ignored prior warnings. The authors conclude that art theft has been 'desacralized' and has become just another business for many criminals.