Scott Waugh will direct a big screen adaptation of Matt Potter’s nonfiction book, Outlaws Inc.
Need for Speed and Act of Valor director Scott Waugh is set to helm Outlaws Inc., an adaptation of the nonfiction book by Matt Potter. Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Fundamental Films’ Mark Gao are also set to produce the feature film, which boasts an adapted screenplay by David Schickler, co-creator of “Banshee.” The two companies co-developed the script, while Fundamental Films also fully financed the project.
Published in 2011, Potter’s book is officially described as follows:
This riveting account reveals the secret corners of our supposedly flat world: black markets where governments are never seen but still spend outrageous amounts of money. Journalist Matt Potter tells the story of Yuri and his crew, a gang of Russian military men who, after the collapse of the Soviet Union found themselves without work or prospects. So they bought a decommissioned Soviet plane-at liquidation prices, straight from the Russian government-and started a shipping business. It wasn’t long before Yuri, and many pilots like him, found themselves an unlikely (and ethically dubious) hub of global trading. Men like these are paid by the U.S., the Taliban, and blue-chip multinational companies to bring supplies- some legal, some not-across dangerous borders.
In a feat of daring reportage, Potter gets onto the flight deck with these outlaws and tells the story of their fearless missions. Dodging gunfire, Potter is taken from place to place by men trafficking everything from illicit weapons to emergency aid, making enemies everywhere but no reliable friends. As the world changes, we see the options for the crew first explode, then slowly diminish, until, in a desperate maneuver, they move their operations to the most lawless corners of Africa, where they operate to this day.
The story of these outlaws is a microcosm of the world since the end of the cold war: secret contracts, guerrilla foreign policy, and conflicts too thorny to be handled in public. Potter uses the story of these men to articulate an underground history of the globalized world. At once thrilling, provocative, and morally circumspect, this book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in espionage, or in how the world works today.
“Scott Waugh is one of the smartest and most inventive action directors working today,” says Iwanyk. “We are thrilled to have him join ‘Outlaws Inc.’ to make a big, fun, commercial film.”
“We are proud to be teaming with our friends at Thunder Road and Scott Waugh for what is set to be a gripping movie,” adds Gao, “with the truth in this case being very much stranger than fiction!”
Gregory Ouanhon of Fundamental Films and Erica Lee of Thunder Road will executive produce Outlaws Inc., with Gary Glushon overseeing development for Fundamental.
Have you read Outlaws Inc.? Do you think it sounds like good material to base a film on? Let us know in the comments below!
