Matt Damon is in the “early stages” of taking the lead role in a no-holds-barred biopic of fugitive billionaire commodities trader Marc Rich in ‘The King of Oil,’ according to Deadline.
The film is based on the book of the same name by Daniel Ammann, that sheds new light on one of the most controversial international businessmen of all time. Rich was a child of the Holocaust who became the wealthiest and most powerful oil and commodities trader of the century until his 1983 indictments on 65 criminal counts including tax evasion.
Ammann’s book details Rich’s illegal dealings with Iran during the hostage crisis and his quiet cooperation with the Cuban, Israeli, and U.S. governments. The Glencore founder never faced a judge or jury: Rich was in Switzerland when he was indicted on those criminal counts and lived his life abroad until he died at age 78 in 2013.
John Krasinski, who is riding high on the success of ‘A Quiet Place,’ is on board to produce the biopic, with talk of possibly directing. Allyson Seeger, Krasinski partner over at Sunday Night Productions, will also produce, alongside Vincent Sieber and Uri Singer.