By Katey Rich
Even though the current government shows no signs of running out of scandal fodder, filmmakers are looking to the recent past for stories of outrage and intrigue. Variety reports that Universal is developing Kill the Messenger, about the California journalist Gary Webb, who was defamed by the CIA when he suggested the government agency's involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal had led to the rise of crack cocaine use in California. Webb committed suicide in 2004, eight years after publishing the expos article that essentially destroyed his career. Peter Landesman, a former investigative journalist, will write the screenplay.
Benderspink is the latest production company to jump on the graphic novel adaptation bandwagon, picking up the rights to the indie title Pencilneck. The book, as described by The Hollywood Reporter, has a familiar story for Sidney Lumet fans-- a mild-mannered man is convinced by his brother to rob a familiar location, this time the bank where he works. The heist goes awry, naturally, and the banker is taken hostage, but he's not going down without a fight.
The cast for Michael Mann's Public Enemies continues rounding out, and looks better and better with every new name. The latest to join the bunch is Billy Crudup, who will be operating on the other side of the law as FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Johnny Depp, of course, stars as legendary Chicago gangster John Dillinger, and Christian Bale co-stars as G-Man Melvin Purvis.
And finally, more proof that time-travel stories never really grow old. The Reporter writes that Disney has acquired the spec script Self Guided, about a man who travels back in time and becomes a high school guidance counselor in order to give advice to his younger self. The screenwriter, Jared Stern, has previously worked with Disney as an animator on Toy Story 3.
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