Ben Jacoby (upcoming Whisper Man) has been signed on to write a feature adaptation of the book American Huckster by Mary Papenfuss and Teri Thompson for 20th Century Studios, in a production by Ridley Scott’s company Scott Free.
With the vibe of The Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can, the film will tell the jaw-dropping tale of a stay-at-home New York soccer dad who grifted millions of dollars from the world’s most powerful and corrupt sports organization and became an unlikely FBI whistleblower.
Papenfuss and Thompson’s book (Harper Collins 2016) grew from their exclusive stories in The New York Daily News exposing former FIFA official Chuck Blazer who wore a wire for the FBI to incriminate his confederates in a massive World Cup bribe scandal.
Mike Pruss and Avital Siegel are overseeing the project for Scott Free, with Sarah Shepard and Catherine Hughes overseeing it for 20th Century Studios.