Michael Mann has closed a deal acquiring film and television rights to an Elaine Shannon book about organized crime figure Paul Le Roux.
Paul Le Roux was the head of many criminal enterprises and terrorist groups around the world, including Iran and North Korea. He recently testified for the prosecution in Manhattan Federal District Court at the murder trial of Joseph Hunter. Hunter was a former US Army sniper and instructor who worked for Le Roux as an assassin for Le Roux. Elaine Shannon has been chronicling Le Roux's story for the past 4 years for her book.
Mann said, "Elaine Shannon's book took me into the actual people and places, the language and attitudes as powerfully as great fiction. Deeply and vividly, it illuminates the mind of LeRoux and the dark frontier of transnational crime."
The book itself was acquired by William Morrow/HarperCollins' David Highfill who will also edit the book. There is no publishing date available yet.