Okay, they may have just set the perfect cast with the perfect director… Universal is apparently in talks with Ridley Scott to direct Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in the Brian Grazer produced drama American Gangster!
Yeah, I used an exclamation point! I am pumped about this idea as I was hoping this film wouldn’t be scrapped.
Back in 2004 is when I first got excited about it because Antoine Fuqua was supposed to be directing Denzel and Benicio Del Toro (yeah, that is another fantastic trio eh?). Then Hotel Rwanda‘s Terry George was supposed to rewrite Steve Zaillian’s script and direct the pic, that is the script Scott is working with right now.
The film is based on a New York Magazine article by Mark Jacobson, which depicted the true story of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas (Washington), who smuggled heroin in the caskets of soldiers killed in Vietnam. He was eventually caught by New York detective Richie Roberts (Crowe), who got Lucas to turn his talents toward catching the crooked cops and drug dealers who profited from his scheme.
