Hollywood has been trying unsuccessfully to get a film based on notorious Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar forever. Oliver Stone's Escobar and Joe Carnahan's Killing Pablo are probably the most high-profile, but both have stalled and may never actually happen. The closest we've come may be HBO's Entourage where Vinnie Chase plays him in a fake film, or Escobar's brief appearance in 2001's Blow played by Cliff Curtis.
As for a full on Escobar biopic, it's still a ways off most likely. But will see him portrayed on screen, and by the talented Benicio Del Toro, no less. The actor has signed on to Paradise Lost, the directorial debut from Italian writer/actor Andrea di Stefano, who has a small role in Ang Lee's Life of Pi. The film sounds a little offbeat, following a surfer named Nick who heads to Colombia and falls with the beautiful Maria, only to learn that her uncle is Pablo Escobar. Well that's a good way to dry up those passion juices.
This sounds potentially terrible, but the idea of Del Toro as Escobar is extremely promising. Hopefully we'll see a more complete story on the druglord in the future, but for now this will have to do. Paradise Lost is slated to begin production next March. [Variety]
