Studios tend to be tight with cash for non-tentpole projects these days, which makes Fox‘s $6 million dollar spend on Don Winslow‘s drug thriller books "The Cartel" and "The Power Of The Dog," with Ridley Scott attached to helm the former, all the more surprising. With that kind of money laid out already, it’s no wonder they are chasing a big star for the lead.
Deadline reports that Fox is courting Leonardo DiCaprio for the flick. He’s already starring in Fox’s "The Revenant" due later this year, starred in Scott’s "Body Of Lies" in 2008, and co-produced "Out Of The Furnace" with Scott in 2013. So, the relationships are there, and DiCaprio has made clear the importance of his working with top shelf filmmakers.
“[I’m] very much director-driven,” the actor recently told Grantland. “I really believe that filmmaking is a director’s medium. And although the screenplay, the character, is important as well, the execution of that screenplay can only be done in the hands of the right director…"
Shane Salerno will be penning the script for "The Cartel," but things could’ve gone differently. HBO and "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto were also chasing the project, with "’71" director Yann Demange also in the bid; alas, those didn’t pan out.
It seems there’s a lot of energy behind this one at the moment, and if DiCaprio lines it up on his schedule, there’s no doubt it’ll become a priority.
I don\’t care what anyone says. The Counselor was a pretty damned great movie. Just because it was different, doesn\’t mean it was "bad." That\’s totally subjective. I\’d be first in line to see this, regardless of who is starring in it.
This already looks like it\’s going to be ruined. A shame. Those are really good books. Winslow has the same problem Elmore Leonard briefly had for a brief time; hack directors butchering his novels. With Leonard, they eventually got it right. Hollywood butchered The Life and Death of Bobby Z and Savages. It looks like they\’re going to butcher Power of the Dog and The Cartel, too.
Ridely Scott has a way of getting good ideas and churring out terrible movies. The Counselor wasn\’t enough to drive studios away from producing and distributing Rid scott cartel type movies? LOL
It\’s not a "stereotypical fantasy" that Leonardo DiCaprio is not half-Mexican, nor is it a "stereotypical fantasy" that Scott has a history of whitewashing. Nice try trying to spin anyone who doesn\’t think DiCaprio should take a role from a Latino as The Real Racist, though.
He\’s half Mexican. And in the first book he doesn\’t look Mexican so everyone is surprised when he speaks Spanish. And Not all Mexicans Look Like Your stereotypical fantasy. There are afro Mexicans Mexicans of Spanish descent Mexicans of native anerican/Indio descent. Red headed Mexicans. Blonde blue eyed Mexicans. You being offended about Dicaprio playing a Mexican is like someone being offended by Christian Bale playing American.
Oh, for… the protagonist is half-Mexican. And also like 55. God I hope your prediction about this ending up with a different director was right.