Gizmondo: The Movie!?
Gizmondo gangster to be immortalised
Posted 1 May 2009
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Gizmondo Europe, Stefan Eriksson
With apologies to Gore Verblinski, video games are all the rage in Hollywood. First Atari granddad Nolan Bushnell is having his life turned into a film, now it's the turn of Stefan Eriksson, the Gizmondo Gangster.
We're not even kidding. The Hollywood Reporter states that writer-director Craig Zobel (Great World of Sound) and producers Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson of Contrafilm (Journey to the Centre of the Earth) are attached, with Flynn having optioned a Wired article titled 'Gizmondo's Spectacular Crack-Up' as the basis for the film.
Eriksson, you may remember, was an executive officer at handheld console maker Gizmondo (which ultimately filed for bankruptcy). He's a character of questionable repute who, as SPOnG exclusively revealed back in February 2006, went down in flames as he crashed a Ferrari Enzo of questionable ownership at 162mph. Not long after he found himself facing jail time for embezzlement and unlicensed possession of a firearm.
You can't, however, keep a good gangster down. Eriksson emerged from the slammer in January 2008, only to find himself back in jail in March.
"He just keeps giving", Flynn quipped.
Gizmondo resurfaced with big promises last year (that are yet to be followed through on) with no signs of Eriksson.
You can find that Wired article here. You really could not make this kind of stuff up. Stefan Eriksson, gaming's next big mainstream star!
Con man's story a real 'Crack-up'
Beau Flynn options Wired article; Craig Zobel to write, helm
By Jay A. Fernandez
April 29, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
Writer-director Craig Zobel and producer Beau Flynn want to tell you the story behind "Gizmondo."
Flynn has optioned an October 2006 Wired article by Randall Sullivan titled "Gizmondo's Spectacular Crack-up" that Zobel brought to him. Zobel will write the screenplay to direct, and Flynn and Tripp Vinson of Contrafilm will produce.
The article focuses on Swedish con artist Bo Stefan Eriksson, who, among other stunts, wrecked a million-dollar Ferrari Enzo going 160 mph on Pacific Coast Highway above Malibu in February 2006.
Eriksson previously had launched a hand-held video game company, Gizmondo, that ultimately filed for bankruptcy. Allegedly once a figure in organized crime, he has been in and out of Swedish and U.S. jails for fraud, extortion, auto theft, embezzlement, kidnapping and other charges.
Eriksson had been deported after leaving jail in January 2008 and was arrested again in March.
"He just keeps giving," Flynn joked.
Contrafilm last produced the 3-D adventure "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which grossed $231 million worldwide. The company also has "Riot," "Red Dawn" and "What's Your Number?" with Anna Faris in development at Sony.
The Gersh-repped Zobel has the comedy "Loudermilk" in development with the Heder brothers' Greasy Entertainment at Rogue Pictures. He also co-wrote and directed the award-winning festival hit "Great World of Sound" in 2007.
"Craig's sense of tone is what really blew me away," Flynn said. "Craig has a quality like the Coen brothers. He really has that keen and acute ability to capture what's real but also capture the comedy in what's real."
Sources :
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ide2664960311f8648123cf93d675462b
http://news.spong.com/article/17819/Gizmondo_The_Movie
