Legacy

About This Project

Sallie Harmsen, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Marcel Hensema, Robert de Hoog and Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen play the leading roles in the film adaptation of Alexander Münninghoff’s acclaimed autobiographical book The Son and Heir (De stamhouder). Diederik van Rooijen is responsible for directing. The recordings of the eight-part historical drama series are scheduled from autumn 2020 to autumn 2021. AVROTROS is expected to broadcast Legacy on NPO 1 (Dutch public broadcaster) at the end of next year.

Legacy tells the story of Alexander Münninghoff (Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen) who fell in love with the self-assured, free-spirited Ellen (Sallie Harmsen) in the late 1960s. When, after a beautiful night of love, he confesses that his father, Frans Münninghoff (Robert de Hoog, as a young Frans, Marcel Hensema as an old Frans), was an SS man during the war, Ellen reacts dismissively. Her family suffered greatly from the war. She disappears from his life … only to reappear in it a good month later. She is pregnant. The twenties want to keep the child and decide to get married. But then on the condition that Alexander deals with his dark family past. Alexander finds out that he knows very little about his parents and grandfather (Gijs Scholten van Aschat).

Legacy is produced by Chantal van der Horst (Column Film) in collaboration with AVROTROS. The scenario is written by Rik D’hiet and Diederik van Rooijen.