Separate attempts to bring the life of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar to the screen have defeated both Joe Carnahan and Antoine Fuqua in recent years, but that hasn't deterred Hollywood from attempting another Escobar biopic, courtesy of** Lincoln Lawyer** director Brad Furman{
The new film is neither Escobar, the Fuqua version which Oliver Stone was producing, or Killing Pablo, which was Joe Carnahan's adaptation of Mark Bowden's bestselling book. Rather, Furman's will be a new take on the rich material, with an original screenplay by Matt Aldrich. He says he's "excited to write what could be an epic story." His epic seven-figure payday is probably part of that.
Escobar, known as one of the most successful and elusive cocaine traffickers of all time, had an estimated personal fortune of $25bn at one point, with which he offered to pay off Colombia's entire national debt. That Robin Hood image was one he was keen to cultivate, contributing to housing projects and sponsoring kids' sports teams. But he was also as gangsta as they come, making Colombia the murder capital of the world in the early 1990s, with particular rewards for his hitmen if they killed a police officer.
"This is the Latino Godfather,” says producer Scott Steindorff. “We’re showing the story of his family, the structure of his enterprise, his rise... The man had the largest criminal organization in the world. In the end, it was a war between Colombia and one man.”
"He was intriguing in many ways," says Furman, "and the key is to not look at the hoopla around him but focus on the man. It's a dark story, but it's also a human interest story."
Clearly an Entourage fan, Furman also says he's looking forward to working with Vincent Chase.