Do we really need more coke overdoses in Hollywood? According to Page Six, Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in a live-action remake of the quite awesome documentary Cocaine Cowboys. DiCaprio would star as Mickey Munday, a hick-type airplane pilot with an attitude and an insatiable appetite for the drug trade.
I was just talking to a friend about this flick while listening to Toto’s “Africa,” and the role of Mickey Munday came up. We felt he was getting shorthanded by the main “star” (former soldier/cocaine dealer Jon Roberts, whom Wahlberg is set to play) and we joked that Munday would pitch Hollywood his own idea. If you haven’t Netflixed Cocaine Cowboys, now is the time to do so, because it blows away everything you ever thought about Miami, even if you lived there or went to college there like me.
For instance, Jon Roberts confesses in the doc that he used to pay off the Miami PD to shut down a Miami Beach causeway to allow for his car races. And in the special features, he talks about a psychic who was on his bankroll who told him when the heat was on. One day, this psychic gets furious with him because she “feels” that a body is in the trunk of the car that dropped him off. Turns out she’s right. Jon Roberts might be the most badass guy to ever cross his legs while wearing shorts in an interview.
Back in January, we voiced our semi-disgust at how these low rent drug dealers were getting their own big budget movies before people like The Ramones and Kurt Vonnegut do. If you look at the recent shitty fact-checking, self-mythologizing travesty that was American Gangster, you’ll understand our point. At the same time, we are looking forward to this movie and dreading it…
More Page Six madness…
The untitled flick “will blow Blow out of the water,” says a movie insider who added that Leo “is excited about the opportunity to play the airplane pilot who travels with Mark’s character to obtain kilos of cocaine from Pablo Escobar.”
And then they add that Leo’s “camp” says the rumors are completely false. I would say that’s not the case. DiCaprio definitely had this conversation with Wahlberg from what I hear. Starring in this type of movie provides a lot of benefits for a young man if you know what I mean, and this movie needs more star power than Wahlberg to compete with the numerous Pablo Escobar projects in development post writers’-strike. Peter Berg (The Kingdom) is still on board to direct.
Discuss: Do you want to see a movie that “blows Blow out of the water?” or would you rather see a big-budget D.A.R.E. movie a la G.I. Joe with more baggies and shirtless plebes?Â
February 28th, 2008 at 3:55 am
Eh, I wouldn’t hate seeing Leo or Marky Mark in a drug movie, but Blow was just too damn good and sets a pretty high standard when it comes to films about drugs. I think it will be good, but it won’t be as good as Blow, Fear & Loathing or Spun.
Ok maybe Spun.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:31 am
They have a LOT of good source material to work with. Cocaine Cowboys is a great documentary and I am big fans of the two names mentioned. This could be good. Will it top Blow? It has all the ingredients and source material so we’ll have to see.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:36 am
MICKEY MUNDAY WAS NOT A PILOT. HE IS TOO STUPID FOR THAT GIG. HE WAS A PLANNER AND A BAD PLANNER AT THAT. HE GOT EVERYBODY BUSTED BY LETTING IN AN OUTSIDER. I SHOULD KNOW I WAS CONVICTED IN HIS CONSPIRACY. I KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THAN MUNDAY. MUNDAY WAS ON THE RUN FROM THE LAW FOR YEARS WHILEEE 30 POEPLE WENT TO TRIAL AND EVENTUALLY JAIL.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
dicaprio seems to only make good films, so im there. i know that he and wahlberg wouldn’t be able to top depp and del toro, but it’ll still be a lot of fun. Berg’s good for an action packed flick, but i still don’t see too much substance from him - though the kingdom was close. i hope it works out, but i hope to see akira first, and i hope wahlberg does the fighter with pitt and arronofsky first, after those, this would be cool. i totally agree that american gangster was overhyped, and it is a really grey area approached when making ‘heroes’ out of drug dealers who wouldn’t hesitate to execute an innocent person in a pinch.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
@Bert
Innneresting. Feel free to elaborate if you’re not kidding.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:55 am
NOT KIDDING AT ALL HUNTER.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I would for this film to be made. I think it will make lots of money. who will play the bad ass women like in cowboy?
June 20th, 2008 at 3:52 am
the documentary was really good. Im curious to know how they will be able to cram that much information into a two hour motion picture. I hope they include “Rivi’s” character in the movie. I can see this movie being much better than blow, because blow is based on one guy selling drugs. This movie would be based on the entire business, including the extreme violence associated with it. Its hard for me to see leonardo dicaprio as a convincing criminal, i guess its cause hes been taking all of these majestic good guy roles since basketball diaries. I think mark is a great match for this movie, he is pretty much the only white actor who actually was a criminal at one time in his life (before he was an actor). Im sure he would know how to play the part.
July 5th, 2008 at 1:33 am
I just watched the documentary and then wanted to see it again and again. Super Haunting. The story is incredible - history - part of my own life - but I was too young to notice. I trust Leo and Wahlberg more than any other actors (imagine Cruise butchering it) and even though I was rooting for Scorcese to do this……Peter Berg is a fresh look and I am IN.