Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Movie Confirmed? Leonardo DiCaprio Set To Produce Film?
The news only broke out a few weeks ago, but news have been breaking out that there would be an upcoming Volkswagen emissions scandal movie in the works, with the story based on the forthcoming book by New York Times' Jack Ewing, Fortune writes.
The said controversy sparked on Sept. 18 this year when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Notice of Violation against Clean Air Act to the globally-known German automaker, the Volkswagen Group. Since then, the company became the target of regulatory investigations in multiple countries, and Volkswagen's stock price went down in value by third days after the news broke out in public.
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio expressed his interest in producing the Volkswagen emissions scandal movie through his own production company Appian Way. The latter will team up with Paramount Pictures to work on the said project, and it is expected to explain how a "more, better, faster" ethos caused one of the most concrete examples of corporate fraud in history according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile, Jack Ewing writes for International New York Times and the author of the snappily titled "Germany's Economic Renaissance." Norton agreed to publish his upcoming book on the Volkswagen scandal for a reported six-figure deal. His book is still in writing process, and so do the screenplay for the upcoming Volkswagen emissions scandal movie. Also, the cast and crew haven't been confirmed yet with regards to the project.
So what was the Volkswagen emissions scandal really all about? Here is a quick summary: the German automaker was caught for cheating the emissions tests for their "clean diesel" cars using "defeat device" software so it would meet the required European standards during tests.
Turns out, the cars were producing 40% more pollution than was allowed by law. As a result, Volkswagen's share prices plunged since the exposure, which led to CEO Martin Winterkorn to file for forced resignation.