According to Deadline, Jon Turteltaub has taken the directing gig for eOne’s true-life drama Insane, about the exploits of consumer electronics king “Crazy” Eddie Antar, who pulled off one of the greatest securities frauds in history.
The discount appliance/electronics store Crazy Eddie was one of the more prominent retailers in the New York area in the 1970s thanks to a number of in-your-face commercials featuring comedian Jerry Carroll screaming about “Insane” prices. Behind the scenes, things weren’t as robust, as one Eddie Antar, who started his first Crazy Eddie store in Brooklyn before expanding to 43 stores, skimmed money and falsified inventory to inflate his company’s stock value after taking it public.
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Eventually, Antar’s schemes were discovered and he quickly fled to Israel only to be extradited three years later. He served time in prison until 1999, was ordered to pay $150 million in fines and eventually lost his business. Antar died in 2016.
The film, per the report, will focus on his cousin Sam E. Antar, who was CFO of Crazy Eddie’s and complicit in its illegal activities. Same eventually straightened out and now works as a forensic accountant who helps uncover similar frauds. He will serve as associate producer on the film, alongside producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Peter Steinfeld, DeShawn Schneider and Mandy Stein.
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Turteltaub has a number of hits under his belt, including last year’s The Meg, Last Vegas, National Treasure, Phenomenon, While You Were Sleeping and Cool Runnings.
