Scott Rudin is a force to be reckoned with in the producing world. The Oscar winning uber producer has just optioned the New York Magazine article The Terrorist Search Engine for adaptation. The article is a profile of the controversial counterterrorism expert witness Evan Kohlmann who at the age of 23 helped convict 23 defendants in federal courts and Guantánamo Bay tribunals with his testimonies. Now Kohlmann is a more controversial figure who was deemed to be using those testimonials in order to make a life for himself.
What’s more interesting is that Rudin is rooting for Jesse Eisenberg to take the film’s centre stage. Of course Rudin was the producer of The Social Network, for which Eisenberg was rightfully Oscar nominated. However the actor is only just contemplating taking the project at the moment, he’s waiting to see a script until he fully commits.
The film is set up at Columbia Pictures who have a good relationship with the producer and the actor after The Social Network, so the project won’t sit around for long. The story of this guy sounds interesting and it could be something out of Eisenberg’s comfort zone, I have a feeling his will be an interesting project to track. (Vulture)
