MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures and MTV Films are developing a movie around mega-producer Les Grossman. The announcement comes on the heels of Grossman’s groundbreaking and visionary production of the soon-to-be Emmy award-winning 2010 MTV Movie Awards.
Tom Cruise, along with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films, will produce and have secured the life rights to Grossman.
Cruise is also said to be in talks to portray Grossman in the film.
Grossman, best known as a mega-producer, has most recently mentored talents such as Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. In 2008, Grossman was introduced to the masses by Stiller in the comedy Tropic Thunder where the famed producer had a cameo playing himself.
Stiller said, "Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of the classic human struggle to achieve greatness against all odds. He has assured me he plans to quote, ‘F**king kill the sh*t out of this movie and make Citizen f**king Kane look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done.’ I am honored to be working with him."
When asked what the screenplay was about, Grossman said, "To quote my great friend Kirk Lazarus, ‘I don’t read the script, the script reads me.’"
Paramount Film group president Adam Goodman said, "Everything I learned in this business, I’ve learned from Les. I started out as his assistant, and from the first day he threw his desk at me when I got his lunch order wrong, I have loved him like a father. I am forever grateful to Ben and Stuart Cornfeld and their ability to secure his highly-coveted life rights."
Michael Bacall will write the script.
