A new film based on the 1976 hijacking of an Air France plane is to shoot in the UK and Malta.

Entebbe is from British producing powerhouse Working Title Films and portrays the drama which took place when the aircraft was hijacked by a group of terrorists and forced to land at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

Nearly 250 hostages were held on board while the terrorists laid out their demands: the release of 40 Palestinian militants being held an Israeli jail and 13 other prisoners from another four countries.

The world waited as the dramatic stand-off lasted a week, with the Ugandan government and Idi Amin supporting the hijackers.

Finally, after days of planning, a night rescue operation took place with 100 Israeli commandos arriving by plane. Within 90 minutes the mission was complete and the majority of the remaining hostages rescued, but with considerable loss of life and injury.

Rosamund Pike, Daniel Bruhl and Vincent Cassel have been mooted to star in the film. Jose Padilha (Narcos, RoboCop) directs from a screenplay by Gregory Burke, best-known for the much-garlanded Northern Ireland-set feature ”71.

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