Don Winslow's The Cartel coming to the Big Screen!

Yesterday, I hosted the always entertaining and brilliant raconteur Don Winslow at a Literary Salon at my home in Berkeley. What a terrific event! The event was also fueled by the news that Don had just sold screen rights for The Cartel to Fox with Ridley Scott directing! Shane Salerno will be writing the script! How cool is that!

From Deadline:

Fueled by Ridley Scott’s commitment to direct, Fox won an auction for screen rights to The Cartel, the new Don Winslow drug epic that settles the score between DEA agent Art Keller and Mexican drug kingpin Adan Berrera, a battle that began with Winslow’s 2006 novel The Power of the Dog. The studio is already moving fast to capitalize on all the money it has spent, courting Leonardo DiCaprio to play the role of Keller, and this one looks promising.

Winslow and his partner in the deal, Story Factory’s Shane Salerno (who’ll write the script), chose Fox over several intriguing options, because of Scott. The filmmaker covered the drug terrain with the Cormac McCarthy-scripted The Counselor, and as riveting as that movie was, its bleak premise and harsh drug violence limited its gross. This one is potentially more commercial in a sprawling crime epic Godfather kind of way.

Read more here. 

Don Winslow & Chuck Hogan Write Crime Thriller Script

Deadline reports that crime writers Don Winslow and Chuck Hogan are writing a contemporary crime thriller script to be produced by Shane Salerno.  he script revolves around two men who inevitably collide, amidst a host of supporting characters. Winslow and Hogan will each focus on one of the characters, and meld the plot into a script which Salerno will bring to studios once it is completed.

Universal shifted the Oliver Stone-directed adaptation of Winslow’s Savages from a fall to July 6 slot, with a cast that includes Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Benicio Del Toro, John Travolta and Salma Hayek. That script was written by Salerno & Winslow & Stone. Salerno & Winslow are currently adapting Winslow’s period spy thriller Satori for Warner Bros, with Leonardo DiCaprio starring and John Lesher and Jennifer Davisson Killoran producing and Salerno executive producer. Winslow has also written a Savages prequel novel, The Kings of Cool, which Simon & Schuster will release June 19.

Read More Here.

Hat Tip: PopcultureNerd