Wonderhood tells story of Dodi Al-Fayed

Wonderhood Studios is in production on a feature documentary for Paramount+ and Channel 5, which delivers an account of the life of Dodi Al-Fayed.

Dodi: Last Days of a Playboy (1×90’) goes beyond the image of a playboy portrayed by the media, to reveal how an isolated, lonely boy had to deal with his parents’ divorce at a young age, built a career in Hollywood and ended up dating the most famous woman in the world.

With unprecedented access to Dodi’s former girlfriends, closest friends, business partners and Dodi’s inner circle, the film charts Dodi’s life from his early days as a child caught up in his parents’ separation, through a stint at Sandhurst at the behest of his father, and a career in Hollywood – to his final weeks in France.

Dodi: Last Days of a Playboy is a Wonderhood Studios production for Paramount+ and Channel 5, in association with All3Media International. It is filmed, produced and directed by Luke Korzun Martin, produced by Cecilia Valensise, and executive produced by Tom Anstiss and Samantha Anstiss. It was ordered by commissioning Eeditor, Channel 5 & P+, Daniel Pearl.

The film reveals how Dodi’s determination to forge his own path brought him into conflict with Mohamed Al-Fayed. His father struggled to let him have his independence, preferring to keep him close to help achieve his own ambitions.

The film includes testimony from Dodi’s former girlfriends Denice D. Lewis and Annie Cardone. As well as Peter Riva, who knew Dodi from his time at an elite boarding school in Switzerland all the way through to his death.

Lee Sansum, one of the Al-Fayed family’s personal bodyguards, talks for the first time about the pressure of the paparazzi on Dodi and Princess Diana days before their deaths in France. Dodi’s personal butler of 7 years, René Delorm, who lived with Dodi and travelled across the globe with him, reveals the reality of the romance and how Dodi was catapulted by his father into a relationship with Princess Diana while at the same time being romantically involved with a number of other women.

One of those women was Kelly Fisher. Renowned women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred reveals why she filed a lawsuit against the Al-Fayeds and how Dodi continued to spend time with Kelly on a nearby yacht in St Tropez while he was dating Princess Diana.

Princess Diana’s close confidante Richard Kay offers a revelatory new insight into her relationship with Dodi and her state of mind hours before her tragic death.

It’s a story of a billionaire fighting the British Establishment, a Princess in conflict with the Royal Family and a son who had failed to live up to his father’s expectations until the tragic summer of 1997.

Tom Anstiss, executive producer, Wonderhood Studios said: “The story of Diana’s death is one of the most well-told stories in history, but half of that story is missing. Our film reclaims the life and legacy of Dodi. It’s a nuanced and tragic tale which explores how a kaleidoscope of seminal moments in social history brought together a Princess, a Patriarch and a Playboy.”

Luke Korzun Martin, director says “This film has extraordinary access to a fascinating range of people who knew Dodi intimately across his life. Their untold and deeply personal testimony delivers a dramatic and compelling new narrative about an enigmatic figure who was part of one of the most significant events in modern times.”

Daniel Pearl, commissioning editor, Unscripted UK Originals, Channel 5 & P+ comments “This premium feature documentary tells a truly extraordinary story. There has been so much written about the events of Diana’s death but remarkably little about Dodi. This film reveals the truth about a tragic figure forever linked to the history of Diana and her relationship with the Royal Family”.