After working together onGus Van Sant’s fracking dramaPromised Land,Matt DamonandJohn Krasinskiare re-teaming forThe King of Oil, which will chronicle the true story of disgraced billionaire businessmanMarc Rich.
Joe ShrapnelandAnna Waterhousewill adaptDaniel Ammann’s biographyThe King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich, which Universal optioned on behalf of Krasinski’s company Sunday Night Productions. At this point, Krasinski is simply attached to produce alongside his Sunday Night partnerAllyson Seeger, as well asVincent SieberandUri Singer, the latter of whom first optioned the book before partnering with Sunday Night. Executive producers includeSteve Gordon,Greg MossandDaniel Turcan.
Krasinski is a hot commodity coming off ofA Quiet Place, though it’s Damon who is in talks to play Rich, and the script will be developed as a starring vehicle for the Oscar winner. Damon is coming off a rough fall that saw bothSuburbiconandDownsizingfail to entice critics or audiences, butThe King of Oilseemingly offers a much stronger role for the Boston-born actor.
Rich was a powerful and uber-wealthy oil and commodities trader who founded Glencore before being indicted in 1983 on 65 criminal counts, including tax evasion. He was never made to answer for his crimes – though he did receive a controversial pardon fromPresident Bill Clintonon his last day in office – and died in 2013 at age 78 after living abroad for many years.
In addition to co-writing and starring inPromised Land, Damon and Krasinski also teamed up to produceManchester By the Sea, which won two Oscars and was nominated for four more, including Best Picture. The duo are represented by WME, while CAA reps Shrapnel and Waterhouse.
Damon will soon begin filmingJames Mangold’sFord vs. Ferrarimovie alongsideChristian Bale, and he’s also slated to star in anRFKbiopic fromThe Dark TowerdirectorNikolaj Arcel. Krasinski is actively developing a sequel toA Quiet Place, though he hasn’t committed to return as director yet. He next stars as the titular analyst in the new Amazon seriesJack Ryan.
