Hollywood producer and chewing gum heir explore takeover of notorious spyware firm

Robert Simonds and William ‘Beau’ Wrigley move to acquire assets of NSO, blacklisted Israeli company behind Pegasus spyware

An unlikely cast of characters including a Hollywood producer and the heir to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune are exploring a possible bid to take control of assets owned by NSO Group, the Israeli company behind one of the world’s most sophisticated cyber-weapons.

Robert Simonds, a US financier whose credits include producing several Adam Sandler films, has been engaged in talks to acquire the blacklisted spyware company’s assets, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.