‘Angel’ movie to feature life of Ashraf Marwan

Cairo- July 29 2017: The life of the late Egyptian billionaire Ashraf Marwan will be portrayed in an Israeli movie named “Hamalach” (The Angel).

Israeli newspaper Haaretz stated that the movie scenario is based on the book “The Angel: Ashraf Marwan, the Mossad and the Surprise of the Yom Kippur War” written by Uri Bar-Joesph. The book was first published in Hebrew and later translated to English under the name of “The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel”. The movie is expected to host a cast of European and Israeli actors.

The leading role of Marwan himself will be played by Dutch actor Marwan Kenzari, while Israeli actor Sasson Gabai will play the role of late Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat. Netflix has already bought the rights to the movie, which will be directed by Israeli director Ariel Vromen. Shooting is expected to end by August 2018.


Who is the controversial Ashraf Marwan?

Marwan was an Egyptian billionaire who was born on February 2, 1944 in Cairo to a respected family. His grandfather was the head of the Sharia courts in Egypt. Marwan, who was the husband of Mona Abdel Nasser, the daughter of former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

In 1969, Marwan started his career as an employee in the presidential office during Abdel Nasser’s era. Then, he became the secretary of information to Sadat. After the 1973 war, Marwan became the president secretary for foreign relations. Later, he faced a lot of accusations that he used his position to gain more wealth, which drove Sadat to yield to the pressures and end Marwan’s service in 1976.

In 1981, Marwan left Egypt and started his career as a businessman in London.

He became wealthy in a short period of time, but the source of his wealth remains unclear. It was strongly said that he was one of the biggest weapons dealers in the region. Marwan was like an iceberg: what appears on top is much less than what is hidden.

In 2002, Israel alleged that Marwan spied for it under the code name “The Angel”, revealing to them a lot of precious secrets, which were easy for a person in Marwan’s position to know. The most confidential was the news of October 1973, as he warned the Israeli intelligence on October 5, 1973 that the war would start the next day.

It was said that this warning decreased the surprise of the October War and prevented the complete occupation of Golan Heights. Egypt announced in response to these Israeli claims that Marwan was a double agent, and his work with the Israeli intelligence was with the full knowledge of the Egyptian intelligence, which Marwan was working with and loyal to. The Egyptian authorities declared as well that the cooperation of Marwan with the Israeli intelligence was only to provide them with misleading information to help the Egyptian intelligence.

On June 27, 2007, Marwan was found dead, laying on the ground beside his residence in Carlton House Terrace in London. It was said that someone pushed him from his apartment balcony, but nobody knows who was behind his death.