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Bidding war erupts for New York Times Mexican Kidnapping Article (THR)

hodayathink

hodayathink

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,054
N.Y. Times Kidnapping Revenge Article at Center of Bidding War (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter

Over 16 companies are hotly seeking the screen rights to New York Times piece "She Stalked Her Daughter's Killers Across Mexico, One by One," a gripping and devastating story that personalizes the kidnapping epidemic in Mexico.

Production companies Chernin Entertainment (Ford v Ferrari), Makeready (Queen & Slim), Thunder Road (John Wick), and Amblin plus studios Lionsgate TV, 20th Television, UCP as well as HBO's documentary division are among the companies that are said to be in the mix for the rights. Sources say that nearly 16 offers have already been made, including six-figure options and even figure purchase prices.
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The majority of rights chasers are said to be eyeing the material more like a series adaptation than a feature. No decisions have been made, according to sources. If it is a limited series, there is talk of having a Mexican writer or showrunner, and ideally a woman at that.

The deals being eyed involve just the rights to the article. Still to be discussed are rights to the families showcased in the piece which could complicate and increase the dealmaking. The New York Times would also act as a full-producer on the eventual adaptation.
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The fact that there's at least 1 documentary company looking into this is interesting. But even besides that, focusing more on a limited series than a movie would/should mean that you could end up with something more like Sicario or Traffic that shows how fucked up the system is than a tawdry revenge story.
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,093
Somehow it will morph into a story with Charlize Theron or Scarjo as the lead
 

Deleted member 7051

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
14,254
Slayven said:
Somehow it will morph into a story with Charlize Theron or Scarjo as the lead
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It'll totally be Goldie Hawn's comeback and they'll get Kurt Russell to play her understanding and supportive husband that's secretly an ex-Marine that becomes the protagonist in the sequel as he hunts the people that murdered his wife who hunted the people that murdered their son.

Book it.
 
Tbm24

Tbm24

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,309
So they bid on the rights to essentially an investigative journalism piece? Does this just not involve the actual woman's family at all or?
 

Deleted member 52442

User requested account closure
Banned
Jan 24, 2019
10,774
i remember all those dumb ass comments about it being a movie from people who clearly didnt read the story

shit was horrible (the story, not quite so much the comments)
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

signature-less, now and forever
Member
Sep 24, 2019
34,366
It's fucking crazy how feverishly we crave a true story about struggle and strife.
 
VariantX

VariantX

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,886
Columbia, SC
It doesn't feel good to see people who live in relative safety and comfort scrambling over each other to turn this sad story into entertainment and nothing more, no awareness, no help, no change. Just a money making opportunity.
 

Operations

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,176
This is nothing new. We have movies about almost every war in the 20th century(and before), terrorist acts, etc. Can't feign indignity after realizing this is just another one to the pile.
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,413
It's much more fun when it's Matt Damon and Ben Affleck winning a bidding war on an article about the McDonald's Monopoly scam.
Affleck has committed to directing the project, with Damon set to star, presumably in the central role of antihero Jerome Jacobson. An ex-cop hired to oversee security on the sweepstakes, Jacobson started a side hustle selling high-value playing pieces — including many $1 million prizes — to a wide network of colorful and unsavory types.
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Tochtli79

Tochtli79

Member
Jun 27, 2019
5,777
Mexico City
Awesome, another Latino person's suffering commodified and made into entertainment so white people can shudder at how lawless and godforsaken everything is just a hop over the border while understanding nothing about Mexico or the drug war.
 

JDSN

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,129
Thats how they see us, just look at the people here claiming for a movie about this
 
Aztechnology

Aztechnology

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
14,138
This is gross. Did people really walk away from this after reading that article. It was so profoundly sad. There was no happy ending.
 
myojinsoga

myojinsoga

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,036
Kill3r7 said:
My only guess is that the article is part of a bigger expose or book by the author that Hollywood wants to buy the rights to because otherwise a straight ripped from the headlines story would suffice.
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Sorry what I mean is, the thread title threw me off because it sounded like news agencies were bidding to publish an article. I was being ineffectually snotty about the title - a poor effort, even by my standards.

On topic, I hate that antiquated American narcotics policies hold an entire nation and its people in a state of corruption and chaos. It's sick, and so is mining the situation for entertainment. Then again it's possible the resulting product might have something to say about all this? You never know.
 

Deleted member 22630

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,000
myojinsoga said:
Sorry what I mean is, the thread title threw me off because it sounded like news agencies were bidding to publish an article. I was being ineffectually snotty about the title - a poor effort, even by my standards.

On topic, I hate that antiquated American narcotics policies hold an entire nation and its people in a state of corruption and chaos. It's sick, and so is mining the situation for entertainment. Then again it's possible the resulting product might have something to say about all this? You never know.
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Doubt.
 
Darkspellmaster

Darkspellmaster

Member
Jun 17, 2019
2,182
Feels like a lot of studios see "Oscar Bait" in this story. Female lead going out of her way to stop the killers of her daughter, takes matters into her own hand, and dies in the end in a dramatic way. All the things that the Academy looks for in a story of human suffering. Oh how dramatic. Ugh. This is just wrong on so many levels. I'd rather it be a documentary about what she did and use it to tell a larger picture of the issue in Mexico rather than some tv series that will expressly ignore a lot of factors, and probably have some scene with the born again christian where he makes her question if her desire for revenge is the right thing.
 
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