'Black Snake Moan' Helmer is Back to Work

Craig Brewer is working on a Caleo script

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Monday, March 24th 2008 at 4:30 AM

I am sure this will be the least read article of the day, but I am interested so here goes. Variety is reporting that Craig Brewer (Black Snake Moan and Hustle and Flow) has found his next project and this time around he isn't working from his own script. Word is that "Sopranos" scribe Michael Caleo will pen the adaptation based on the Sudhir Venkatesh book "Gang Leader for a Day".

The article tells us that Venatesh's book is based on time he spent chronicling a crack-dealing gang in Chicago for a research project. He befriended the Black Kings and their leader and was invited to observe close up. Venkatesh found a close-knit group whose corporate culture was much like that of a successful legitimate business. Venkatesh was given the job of calling the shots of the criminal enterprise for a day.

The news then actually gets bigger than just one film. Apparently Venatesh's first adventure was detailed in "Freakonomics," the Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner book that is being turned into a documentary. Apparently the doc will be made up of short films directed by a variety of helmers including Chad Troutwine (Paris je t'aime), Seth Gordon (The King of Kong), Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), Laura Poitras (My Country, My Country), Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) and Jehane Noujaim (Control Room).

I am typically never interested in documentaries, but both of these films have caught my eye and seem like they would make a fantastic double feature or would work as great companion pieces in a DVD set once available on home video.

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