Varietyis reporting that the long in development,John Krasinski-producedThe King of Oilhas found a director.Concussionwriter and directorPeter Landesmanhas signed on to direct the film about commodities trader and alleged financial criminalMarc Rich.
The film is based on a biography about Rich calledThe King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Richby Swiss journalistDaniel Ammann. Rich became a billionaire in the 70s through his commodities company, which actively worked with the “apartheid regime of South Africa, Iran during the Iran hostage crisis” and other unsavory partners. He fled to Switzerland from the United States after being “indicted on some 65 criminal counts, including income tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering, and trading with Iran during the oil embargo”, although he did receive a very controversial pardon from former PresidentBill Clinton. Rich died in Switzerland in 2013.
Landesman’s career first began getting momentum when he wrote and directedParkland, the 2013 film about the assassination of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy. His other directing credits includeConcussion, the Watergate dramaMark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, and the upcoming crime dramaThe Council. His other writing credits includeKill the Messenger.
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The film was first announced to bein development back in July 2018with Matt Damon signed on to star as Rich. It is unknown if Damon is still attached to the project.
The King of Oilhas been adapted into a screenplay byJoe ShrapnelandAnna Waterhouse. Shrapnel and Waterhouse are a writing duo whose previous works together includeSnake Eyes,Rebecca, andRace. Krasinski will be producing the film through his production banner Sunday Night. He will be joined by producersUri Singer,Vincent Sieber, andAllyson Seeger.
Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on this project. Read the full synopsis for the bookThe King of Oilis based on below:
The book focuses on the biography of Marc Rich, a prominent international financier and commodity trader, who became a billionaire in the 1970s, arguably inventing the spot market for oil, grain, and metals. His Switzerland-based corporation Marc Rich + Co. AG actively traded with the apartheid regime of South Africa, Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini, Cuba, Nigeria under dictator Sani Abacha, China, the Soviet Union, and later Russia. Indicted on some 65 criminal counts, including income tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering, and trading with Iran during the oil embargo, Rich, nevertheless, received a widely criticized presidential pardon from U.S. President Bill Clinton on his last day in office.
