A massive bidding war is taking place in Hollywood, and has been for some time, over the new book, Killers of the Flower Moon: An American Crime and the Birth of the FBI. The nonfiction book was written by David Grann, known for the bestseller The Lost City of Z, which has now garnered film adaptation set for release in late 2016. Recent Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) and director J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) are looking to snag the rights for the book even if they don’t end up starring in and helming the project, respectively.
The book tells the story of suspicious murders of Osage Indians in disputes over precious oil-bearing land. Soon after, the newly-formed FBI are sent in to try and crack the case. On report by The Wrap, the bidding war has reached somewhere near the $2 million mark, but DiCaprio and Abrams aren’t the only ones hoping to tackle the film. George Clooney (Hail, Caesar!) and Amy Pascal also have it in their sights. But at least between those two parties, the former may be the eventual winner since they already have Paramount and screenwriter Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) attached.
A story like this would surely be a different film for Abrams, if he was able to take it on, and he and DiCaprio together could mean a fantastic end product for the adaptation. It’s unclear as to when this financial battle will come to a conclusion, or how much money may be invested to obtain the rights.
J.J. Abrams produced the new thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane, opening Friday in theaters.
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