Sony is looking for Michael Bay to spearhead a film based on El Chapo

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

* Inhales deeply *

Ha ha ha ha ha! You’ll have to pardon me as I wipe a few tears from my eyes in my attempt to bring you the news that Sony Pictures is looking to court Michael Bay as the producer and possible director of their planned film based on the notorious criminal Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

Earlier this afternoon, Sony Pictures sealed the deal on the screen-rights to the  Cole Merrell and Douglas Century book Hunting El Chapo: The Thrilling Inside Story of the American Lawman Who Captured the World’s Most-Wanted Drug Lord. Merrell is actually a fictitious pen-name for the DEA official who lead the manhunt for the elusive Sinaloa Cartel figurehead. In fact, El Chapo evaded capture from the authorities for more than a decade before being arrested and later extradited to the U.S. The book is scheduled for release in October of this year to coincide with the infamous drug lord's trial. 3 Arts’ Will Rowbotham and Richard Abate are set to produce the film. 

Heh. I'm sorry, but the thought of Michael "Explosions Galore" Bay heading up this project has me in stitches! I can only imagine the ridiculous set pieces and action Bay would apply to El Chapo's tale of evasion and misdeeds. There's a chance that I could be dead wrong about the notorious director's approach to the material listed here, but there's a very large part of me hopes to be right on the money as just the thought of it sends me into hysterics. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Bay's next big feature film is TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST NIGHT which opens in theaters on June 23, 2017.

Source: deadline

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.