Billionaires aren’t usually known for being compassionate — more often than not those figures are sharks within their industry with no shortage of folks they’ve managed to screw over. Commodities trader Marc Rich is no exception, and back in 2009, The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich from author Daniel Ammann, hit bookshelves. The bio was a self-proclaimed “no-holds-barred biography” that chronicled the life of a man who would eventually get pardoned by Bill Clinton.
Now, Deadline is reporting that the film has been optioned by Universal Pictures for John Krasinski’s production banner Sunday Night Productions. What’s more, Matt Damon is early stages to join the film playing Rich himself. As of this writing, it is being speculated that Krasinski himself will actually direct the film, but it’s premature to state that at this point.
Taking on the script for the film are Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, who wrote 2016’s Race and co-wrote 2014’s Frankie and Alice. Below is the synopsis of the bio:
“This sure-to-make-headlines book is the first no-holds-barred biography of Rich, who was famously pardoned by Bill Clinton, and resurfaced in the news during the confirmation hearings of Attorney General Eric Holder. The King of Oil sheds stunning new light on one of the most controversial international businessmen of all time, charting Rich’s rise from the Holocaust, which he fled as a young boy, to become the wealthiest and most powerful oil and commodities trader of the century. From his earliest trading days to the present, Marc Rich’s story is astonishing and compelling.”
What do you think about Damon joining the project, and would you like Krasinski to direct? Let us know your thoughts down below!
Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.
SOURCE: Deadline