If you’re going to make a movie about the labyrinthine, totally insane, you-can’t-make-this-shit-up world of the Silk Road, no one would write it better than the Coen Brothers. That is exactly why Fox has nabbed the Oscar-winning duo to write the new screenplay for the thriller Dark Web at Fox.
Originally titled Silk Road, the film is based on the true story of 29-year-old Ross William Ulbricht (known online as Dread Pirate Roberts) as told in Joshuah Bearman’s 2013 two-part Wired article of the same name. It’s a truly wild, twisting tale—perfect for the men behind Fargo—that takes Ulbricht from internet idealist to murderous kingpin overlord of a drug bazaar. Now titled Dark Web, the first attempt at scripting the story came from Dennis Lehane, who’s no stranger to Hollywood adaptations. His novels Gone, Baby, Gone and Mystic River, as well as the Leonardo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese film, Shutter Island, were all adapted for the screen. He was also a staff writer on the insanely popular HBO series, The Wire.
Nerdist has reached out for comment on The Hollywood Reporter exclusive, but had not heard back at the time of publication. We will update this post as more information becomes available.
Needless to say, this development is an exciting one for a tricky, involved, but of-the-time thriller. The Coen Brothers’ work has never shied away from the weird and weirdly complicated, making us all the more excited for the adaptation. (Plus the original Wired article is a great read; you should check it out!)
Are you excited about this development? Let us know in the comments below!
Image Credit: Focus Features
