Dori Media, Sphereorigin to develop film on FlyDubai hijacking attempt

Dori Media Group and Mumbai-based Sphereorigin are developing a narrative film about the Sept. 30 attempt to hijack a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Variety reported on Oct. 15. A narrative film uses actors to tell a scripted story, rather than a documentary. The deal was struck just over two weeks after the incident.

The flight was bound for Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and was carrying mainly Israeli citizens returning home after visiting Dubai, according to Variety. The co-pilot is alleged to have stabbed the captain and seized the controls with the intention of crashing into the airport. The aircraft reportedly dropped more than 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds.

The injured captain, Smit Machchhar, then helped passengers overpower the suspected co-pilot in the cockpit, Variety reported. He has been called a hero in two countries. Machchhar, an Indian national, has been hailed as a national hero in India and Israel.

Two other pilots who were travelling on the flight took over and landed the aircraft safely in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The accused co-pilot is under arrest and faces prosecution by authorities in the United Arab Emirates, according to the same report. The drop lasted about 30 seconds.

The screen project came together at speed at a television market. Representatives of Sphereorigin approached Dori Media about a collaboration, Variety reported. Dori Media chief Nadav Palti received the first call about the idea on Oct. 11, on the eve of Mipcom, the international television market in Cannes. The two companies finalised terms of the development pact by the afternoon of Oct. 14 at the market.

Subhadarshi Tripathy brokered the deal on behalf of both Dori Media and Sphereorigin, according to Variety. Sunjoy Waddhwa is managing director of Sphereorigin. A development pact is an early-stage agreement to develop a script, before casting or filming.

The incident drew false reports online in its aftermath. An AI-generated deepfake that imitated a BBC report falsely linked Indians to the attempt, France 24 reported on Oct. 1. That fake report wrongly claimed an Indian passenger was behind the incident and linked him to the stabbed pilot. Separately, a plane video with screams edited in was misrepresented as footage of the incident, Reuters reported on Oct. 5.

For viewers, this means patience. No cast, director or release date has been announced. Development is the first step in a long chain before any film reaches screens.