Now that The Hangover trilogy has become one of the most successful comedy franchises ever, Todd Phillips has been moving in a totally different direction. With his buddy Bradley Cooper he's got a couple of dramatic projects in the works, including one that would put Cooper in the role of pulp action hero, Mack Bolan. But before that Phillips is lining up true crime flick Arms & the Dudes, with a couple of big names lining up to star.
According to Deadline, talks are set to begin with Jesse Eisenberg and Shia LaBeouf to star in the film, which is based on Guy Larson's Rolling Stone article about a couple of stoners who became unlikely arms dealers. The two somehow managed to score a $300M contract to supply arms in Afghanistan. Cooper is producing and Jonah Hill had been eyed for a role but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
Phillips could probably turn this into a Pain & Gain style caper if he wanted but may choose to take the material seriously....or as seriously as the idea of pot smoking arms dealers can be.
