Grab your popcorn (and maybe your tiaras), because the story of the recent Louvre jewel heist is coming to screens near you.
CNN is set to air a TV documentary about the audacious robbery that shook Paris, with the premiere scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m., Variety reported Thursday, Oct. 23.
The special, titled “The Heist: The Louvre’s Stolen Crown Jewels,” will also be available to stream via CNN’s All Access subscription beginning Oct. 28. Part of CNN’s “FlashDocs” unit, the documentary promises an in-depth look at one of the most shocking art crimes in recent memory.
On Oct. 19, thieves disguised as construction workers scaled an industrial ladder during the museum’s operating hours and made off with eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels, valued at more than $100 million. In just seven minutes, one of the world’s most iconic museums went from a bustling cultural landmark to a high-profile crime scene.
“Blending frontline reporting, cinematic visuals, and the pulse of a global mystery unfolding in real time, ‘The Heist’ is a gripping, up-to-the-minute account of a crime that museum insiders saw coming for years, only to have their warnings ignored,” reads the documentary’s logline.
The program will feature expert analysis from journalists, art-crime investigators, and specialists familiar with the inner workings of the Louvre. It will also explore the cultural fallout of the theft, highlighting how France is grappling with the tension between myth, wealth, and vulnerability inside one of its most celebrated institutions.
CNN also plans to address how Hollywood has long glamorized jewel heists as “victimless crimes,” offering context for why such audacious robberies captivate the public imagination.
The documentary is executive produced by Eric Johnson, with Amy Entelis and Katie Hinman serving as executive producers for CNN FlashDocs. The unit is known for quick-turnaround documentaries on headline-grabbing events, including Blindsided, which covered football player Michael Oher, and Taking on Taylor Swift, which explored the copyright lawsuit surrounding “Shake It Off.”
