‘Lupin’ Robbers Charged With Pulling Off Elaborate Heist of Show About Elaborate Heist Puller
In one of the wildest cases of life imitating art, seven people in France have been charged with robbing the set of the Netflix heist series, Lupin, the French news agency AFP reports.
The robbery took place Feb. 25 while Lupin was filming in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Some suspects were detained on March 9, but prosecutors didn’t file charges until today, March 18. The seven suspects, who are aged between 13 and 21, are accused of carrying out an armed robbery as part of an organized gang, as well as receiving stolen goods.
It’s believed about 20 people took part in the robbery, during which fireworks were used to disrupt the production, allowing the thieves to make off with over $300,000 in equipment. Some of the equipment has reportedly been recovered, while authorities are still looking for others allegedly involved in the heist.
A rep for Netflix didn’t immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment. But the streaming giant did confirm the charges to Variety, adding that no one on the Lupin set was injured during the robbery.
Lupin offers a modern twist on the tales of the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, a character created by the French novelist Maurice Leblanc in the early 20th century. The new show stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop, the son of a Senegalese immigrant to France, who’s inspired by the Lupin stories to become a master thief himself to avenge his father after he’s framed for a robbery he didn’t commit.
Lupin premiered in two parts last year. A release date for part three has yet to be announced.
