All right, all right, all right. We get it: Matthew McConaughey has had a year that most actors could only dream of. He wins the Best Actor Oscar in a competitive category for his stunning turn in Dallas Buyers Club. He is predicted to be a major contender in the Best Actor – Drama category at next month’s Emmys, for his tour de force performance in HBO’s True Detective. And he keeps attracting good work, such as the Gus Van Sant drama Sea of Trees. Now, the Oscar-winning actor is circling a hot Black List screenplay, The Company Man, which has the potential to continue his McConaissance.
The Company Man (not to be confused with The Company Men, a 2010 drama with Ben Affleck and Kevin Costner) is based on a true story about CIA agent Edwin Wilson, who had a meteoric rise in the agency until some of his alliances with terrorist groups and weapons contractors caught the eye of a cautioned U.S. government. Many questioned his ethics and business dealings. In 1983, he was convicted of selling illegal weapons to fund Libyan terrorists. He argued that he was working at the behest of the CIA while tracking down terrorists when he became involved in the arms dealing. Wilson was later fired from the CIA and became an enemy of the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Nicknamed “The Spy Who Lived it Up” by the New York Times, Wilson seems like a good fit for the charismatic and commanding McConaughey. The film’s protagonist lived more than 20 years in solitary confinement, while his persona recalls that of the charming go-getters that McConaughey is best associated with. Deadline reports that while his reps have not yet confirmed the part, McConaughey is looking for a good director to work with and if he finds one, he’ll likely sign on.
Tell us, do you think The Company Man sounds like a good project for Matthew McConaughey to take on? Sound off below!
