Gonzo journalist-screenwriter Evan Wright, who wrote the nonfiction book on which the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill” is based, has closed a deal to write the feature Cocaine Cowboys for Paramount.
Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg have been attached to star in and direct, respectively, the story of Jon Roberts, an injured Vietnam vet by age 20 who ended up involved in gangland takeovers of New York City nightclubs in the early ’70s (his uncle was the consigliere to Carlo Gambino). By the end of the decade, Roberts landed in Miami, dealt billions of dollars worth of coke for the Medellin drug cartel and ultimately spent 10 years in prison.
Billy Corben’s popular documentary of the same name, released by Magnolia in 2006, covered a slice of Roberts’ history.
Berg and Film 44 cohort Sarah Aubrey are producing with Wahlberg and “Entourage” executive producer Stephen Levinson.
