A Movie About Dieselgate Is Coming

2014 Volkswagen Touareg TDI badge (Credit: Volkswagen )

The story of Dieselgate is coming to the silver screen, thanks to Paramount Pictures. As Entertainment Weekly recently reported, the production company bought the rights to a film about the scandal. Also involved in the deal is Appian Way, a production company that’s owned by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The upcoming movie, which isn’t anywhere near production, is tied to a book proposal from author Jack Ewig. This isn’t Ewig’s first time around the block – he’s the European economics correspondent for The International New York Times, and has worked as a journalist for quite some time. Ewig has also been at the forefront of the Dieselgate scandal, having published numerous articles for The Times on the topic.

According to Entertainment Weekly’s source, the book proposal involves zeroing in on the culture within Volkswagen that set the stage for the diesel-cheating scandal. The movie will likely have an environmentalist slant to it, thanks to the involvement of DiCaprio, who is quite outspoken on the topic.

The fallout of VW’s actions is still very much ongoing, with billions of dollars at stake. Already, a number of high-ranking executives have been dismissed, including CEO Martin Winterkorn. The book and movie could further damage the automaker’s reputation not only in the United States but also in key markets such as Europe and even China.

With so many people fascinated and horrified with the whole Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal, there is a ready-made market for the movie and book. Publisher Norton is banking on that, having scooped up the proposal for a mid-six figures.

Since the project is still very much in the early stages of preproduction, few details are available. No director or actors have been announced yet, and there’s no hint at a future release date. Stay tuned for details as this project rolls forward.