Warner Bros. is likely already dreaming up the marketing materials for this one: From The People Who Brought You “Crazy Stupid Love” & “Moneyball” — has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? With ‘Crazy’ already taking over $115 million worldwide and “Moneyball” opening to $20 million and chasing an Oscar, WB isn’t wasting anytime in getting talents from those two pictures together.
Directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra will direct “Liar’s Poker” an adaptation of the book by Michael Lewis, according to THR. As you know Lewis penned the book that served as the foundation for the baseball movie that’s now in theaters, but “Liar’s Poker” is about a whole different kind of sport: the stock market. Taking place in the mid-’80s, the story chronicles Lewis’ time as a bond trader for Salomon Brothers and ways in which dishonesty was rewarded, something that is as true then as it is now. Here’s a fuller description from Amazon:
As described by Lewis, liar’s poker is a game played in idle moments by workers on Wall Street, the objective of which is to reward trickery and deceit. With this as a metaphor, Lewis describes his four years with the Wall Street firm Salomon Brothers, from his bizarre hiring through the training program to his years as a successful bond trader. Lewis illustrates how economic decisions made at the national level changed securities markets and made bonds the most lucrative game on the Street. His description of the firm’s personalities and of the events from 1984 through the crash of October 1987 are vivid and memorable.
Of course, when this will roll remains to be seen. Lewis told the trade, “I’m going to spend the next two months,” writing the screenplay and as for Requa/Ficarra, they’ve got a few options they can turn to in the meantime including a buddy cop movie described as a cross between “Lethal Weapon” and “Bad Santa” as well as a middle-aged backpacker comedy based on an idea by Steve Carell. And before you ask, they’ve already turned down the director’s chair for the gestating “Bad Santa 2.”
A big part of the success of “Moneyball” was found in screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian giving the stats driven book a narrative and heart. While Lewis has seen his books adapted before — most notably “The Blind Side” — this will be the first time he’s adapting a work himself so it will be interesting to see how that unfolds. However, no one knows the experience on the trading floor better than he does and it should be good ground for Requa/Ficarra’s edgier brand of humor showcased in “Bad Santa,” certainly giving this project a lot of promise.