Director Ridley Scott, 20th Century Fox and writer Shane Salerno are all returning to the dangerous world of the drug trade and could be taking Leonardo DiCaprio with them. Scott has agreed to direct a film adaptation of Don Winslow’s The Cartel, which will be written by Salerno.
Scott’s involvement was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The Cartel is a fictionalized look at the infamous Sinaloa drug cartel, which is lead by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman. Of course, that instantly gives the film a ‘ripped from the headlines’ vibe since El Chapo just escaped from prison again.
Winslow himself has been in the news, as he’s often been featured to give his analysis of El Chapo’s escape. His book has earned rave reviews and some have compared it to The Godfather.
No star is attached at this point, but Deadline claims that Fox is trying to get DiCaprio onboard. He’d play the role of DEA agent Art Keller, who seeks revenge against Mexican drug lord Adan Barrera. Both characters were in Winslow’s The Power of the Dog, which Fox snapped up as well.
Salerno recently wrote Savages, Oliver Stone’s own look at the drug trade, which was also based on a Winslow book. Scott directed the Cormac McCarthy-written The Counselor, which also dealt with the drug trade.
Scott is finishing up The Martian for Matt Damon, which hits theaters in October. DiCaprio is also busy on The Revenant at the moment.