After winning a DGA Award for his work on Showtime’s limited seriesEscape at Dannemora,Ben Stilleris in talks to direct the crime movieThe Seven Fivefor MGM, Collider has exclusively learned.
The Seven Fiveis based on the 2014 documentary of the same name from directorTiller Russelland producerEli Holzman. That film centered around a corrupt NYPD precinct in the ’80s and its ringleaderMichael Dowd, who was arrested in 1992 with a handful of other dirty cops who stole money and drugs. He served 14 years in prison, and his arrest exposed widespread corruption among the New York police force.
Sony initially won the narrative remake rights toThe Seven Fiveback in December 2014, and the studio moved quickly to attachYann Demange(White Boy Rick) to direct, whileScott Frank(The Queen’s Gambit) was initially eyed to write the script, though he ultimately proved to be too busy. Current MGM bossMichael De Lucawas Sony’s president of production at the time, and clearly he hasn’t forgotten about this project, which he recently acquired out of turnaround from Sony.
I’ve actually been tracking Stiller’s involvement since June 2019, as I’d heard he was working on a new draft of theSeven Fivescript withTony McNamara(The Favourite). It’s unclear whether Stiller and his Red Hour banner will produceThe Seven Five, but when the project was at Sony, producersJohn Lesher(Birdman) andMegan Ellison(Foxcatcher) were calling the shots with Holzman, and I would imagine they’re still involved given how much time they’ve already put into this project.
Last summer, I heardAaron Taylor-Johnsonwas in the mix to play Dowd, and more recently,Nicholas Hoult’s name surfaced in connection with the role, but sources say no one is attached at the moment, as casting has yet to officially start.
Stiller recently teamed up with Protege Pictures and Radar Pictures to produce a movie aboutBernard King, based on the former NBA star’s memoirGame Face: A Lifetime of Hard-Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court. He’s also preparing to direct the Apple TV+ seriesSeverancestarringPatricia Arquette,Adam Scott,John TurturroandChristopher Walken.
Stiller recently executive producedthe illegal coupon comedyQueenpinsstarringKristen BellandVince Vaughn, as well as an upcoming documentary about famed writerBudd Schulberg. As an actor, he’ll soon be seen alongsideAnne HathawayinDoug Liman’s pandemic-themed heist comedyLockdown, and you canclick hereto read more about that project, which was recently acquired by HBO Max. Stiller is represented by WME and 3 Arts Entertainment.
