“Crook County,” a Black List script from Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet, is officially on its way to the big screen. Deadline writes that the partners and spouses will direct the film, “based on the true story of the biggest undercover corruption bust in American history.” Treehouse Pictures is financing.
Starring Emory Cohen (“Brooklyn,” “The OA”), “Crook County” tells the story of lawyer Terrence Hake, who went undercover in an FBI sting operation in Chicago that eventually led to more than 100 government officials’ arrest.
The operation “brought down 17 judges, 48 lawyers, eight policemen, 10 deputy sheriffs, eight court officials, and one state legislator. At one point, the FBI also flew in more than 400 undercover agents to train in a Hollywood-style prop-and-costume warehouse, to really commit crimes, to really get arrested, and to hire Mr. Hake to bribe government officials to get them off,” Deadline details. “This high-stakes political thriller is rife with the comedic absurdity of characters drawn into back-of-bar-room deals and shake-downs.”
Adam McKay (“The Big Short”) is serving as an executive producer with partner Will Ferrell and Valerie Van Galder. Treehouse Pictures’ Justin Nappi and Juliet Berman are set to produce the project with Linda McDonough and Kevin Messick.
“Aron and Gita are two of the most passionate and committed filmmakers I have ever met,” McKay said in a statement. “They’ve written a script about systemic corruption and justice that will be very relevant to the times we’re living in.”
Nappi added, “As soon as I read the script, I knew that ‘Crook County’ needed to be made, not only to shine a light on issues that can plague our criminal justice system, but also to show how one individual’s actions can be instrumental in changing the entire system for the better.”
Pullapilly and Gaudet’s previous work includes “Beneath the Harvest Sky” and the documentary “The Way We Get By.” Their work on “Crook County” earned them a Guggenheim Fellowship.
McKay is set to direct “Bad Blood,” starring Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence will portray Elizabeth Holmes, the controversial founder and CEO of Theranos.
