Movies
Wright pens Paramount's 'Cocaine Cowboys'
Published Friday, Jul 25 2008, 07:02 BST | By Simon Reynolds
Paramount has hired Evan Wright to pen Cocaine Cowboys.
The film will be a loose remake of Billy Corben's 2006 documentary of the same name.
The true-life story centres on notorious drugs trafficker Jon Roberts who, after returning home from Vietnam a decorated solider, became involved in gangland wars in New York and dealt billions of dollars worth of cocaine out of Miami. He was later incarcerated for ten years.
Wright told The Hollywood Reporter: "It's really an exciting story about the secret history of America. It's also a story that outwardly seems familiar, but the more you get into it, it's never really been told this way.
"It's about a guy who was a cocaine smuggler in a mafia - we kind of know those stories - but he also worked closely with the government to smuggle arms for the Contras."
Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio are rumoured to be joining the cast. Peter Berg, a producer on the film, may direct.
The film will be a loose remake of Billy Corben's 2006 documentary of the same name.
The true-life story centres on notorious drugs trafficker Jon Roberts who, after returning home from Vietnam a decorated solider, became involved in gangland wars in New York and dealt billions of dollars worth of cocaine out of Miami. He was later incarcerated for ten years.
Wright told The Hollywood Reporter: "It's really an exciting story about the secret history of America. It's also a story that outwardly seems familiar, but the more you get into it, it's never really been told this way.
"It's about a guy who was a cocaine smuggler in a mafia - we kind of know those stories - but he also worked closely with the government to smuggle arms for the Contras."
Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio are rumoured to be joining the cast. Peter Berg, a producer on the film, may direct.
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