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EXCLUSIVE: Twilight Saga star Peter Facinelli is producing an adaptation of Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer For Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob, an adaptation of the Edward MacKenzie and Phyllis Karas book. Facinelli Films is teamed with Brookstreet Pictures on an indie film that will tell the story of Bulger’s rise and disappearance from the Boston mob scene. While Bulger was said to have informed the character that Jack Nicholson played in The Departed, his tale has drawn film interest after he was apprehended in Santa Monica after vanishing in 1994 as federal agents were about to arrest him in connection with 21 killings, racketeering and other crimes perpetrated in the 70s and 80s involving his Winter Hill gang.
Fortunately for Facinelli, he got involved nine months ago and has a Nick Gordon script and funding commitment from Brookstreet Pictures. He wants to tell the story from the vantage point of MacKenzie, a boxer, drug dealer and feared enforcer. They will go out to filmmakers and a cast. “With the extraordinary capture of Whitey Bulger, there is no better time to tell this amazing story of the Boston Irish Mob from the gripping perspective of Eddie Mac,” said Brookstreet president/CEO Trevor Matthews, who’ll produce with Facinelli, Rob DeFranco and Alison Haskovec. Brookstreet previously produced Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and The Shrine. Gersh’s Jay Cohen and the Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group put the pieces together.
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Audiences love this type of film. The choice of director and cast combined with a solid script will dictate the level of success this film may achieve…but, the timing and continued media coverage of Bulger is perfect.
Will follow this, and look forward to seeing it come together.
I wonder if Showtime wishes they had held on to Brotherhood now.
Brotherhood was such a good show.
Peter Fracinelli is iffy as an actor IMO. This will sure be a chance for him to show what he’s got… if in fact he has anything at all.
The similarities between the Bulgers and the Caffees should at least spark some interest from new viewers (the first 2 seasons stream on Netflix right now).
“Brotherhood” was one of the best dramas to ever air on TV. Just one of those shows that’s hard to stop watching (and then you realize you’ve been sitting on the couch for 6 hours).
One of the nicest guys in the industry
bulger or facinelli?
Facineli
Unfortunately for veracity’s sake, when you ask around South Boston, Eddie Mac is pretty much a total fraud, as is the bulk of this book.
Veracity doesn’t matter to 99% of the audience…they just want to be entertained with another gangster film.
In fact, most films are less concerned with veracity than entertainment, but the downside is many people believe the truth is what they see on screen.
You are right…there are a lot of more relevant characters in the story, not the least of which is John Connolly who planned to tell his own story before he was sent to prison. And gotta believe Howie Carr is gonna make some money on one of these.
Eddie Mac sold coke and was tough as nails but that’s the extent of his dealings with Whitey.. Rat Bastards by Red Shea is another fraud!! All fake a$s people who tried cashing in.. Eddie Mac tries to call Whitey a Rat yet he ratted on a meth organization in Cali so I guess outside of Southie doesn’t count..
It’s getting old fast.
I think the Town was the last Boston, Hood film they should have made.
Really good script by Nick Gordon.
Facinelli or Scorsece or the kid from Jerry Maguire. Not sure who should tell this story.
“Brotherhood” couldn’t escape the looming shadow of “The Sopranos”. It started out strong enough but ran out of steam. Another adaptation of Bulger’s story is in the works… based on the book “Black Mass”. It will be interesting to see which one makes it to the screen.
That book has some factual problems written by Globe reporters who for years stuck their heads in the sand, but no matter for film. Did it actually get made? I know Jim Sheridan wrote the original and was to direct his screenplay.
Talk about striking when the irons are hot. This is perfect timing for this story to be told. Congrats.
This sounds good . Really interested in this right about now . I wanna know more.
How about from the FBi’s pov? Bulger was literally 10 miles down the street in Santa Monica from their LA offices and it took them how many years to find him? Sure he wasn’t a major threat, but goes to show you that you’re hard earned money goes to inept ex-lawyers who can’t get sh_t done.
Lets Look at the stories floating around Hollywood at the moment
BLACK MASS = Terrible Script
RAT BASTARDS (Red Shea Story) = FAKE, The kid was a low level drug dealer who wanted to be like whitey Only problem is he never met him
STREET SOLDIERS (Eddie Mac)- Nick Gordon wrote a great script… Only problem is Eddie Mac was a hustling coke dealer and was never whitey’s enforcer. Ask him, hed probably tell you. Also a Rat by the way. The only one of the fake stories that is a threat because of the Gordon script and has a chance of getting made even in spite of Peter Facinelli
THE ONLY REAL STORIES
WHITEY”S STORY- Im sure will be making a splash soon, He wants to talk and tell everyone how incredible and slick he is. He will sing to anyone who is lucky enough to be able to listen. Obviously the best story for the person who gets it.
BRUTAL(Kevin Weeks Story)- This guys story is the only story besides getting it right from the horses mouth that matters. He was with him for almost every drug deal, every murder and even helped Whitey escape. He was the right hand man and the one Whitey trusted and disclosed the most too. Boston kid Jay Giannone has the rights, not bad for the ex best friend of Mark Wahlberg from the projects. Kevin was the only guy who didn’t go into Witness Protection. Gotta wonder why. Ill bet he knew where Whitey was the whole time.
JOHN MARTORANO PROJECT- Chuck Hogan writing and Graham King owns it. Deal was put together with Johnny Martorano by Kevin Kilduff and George Tobia jr. at Burns and Levinson, and Graham paid a pretty penny for it a few years back. Has been dormant until recently but is a pretty crazy story. The guy was the contract killer of almost 20 people (Probably many more) for Whitey Bulger and the Rifleman Flemmi. Famous for saying he’d kill Whitey if he got the chance, after coming out of jail/ Witness protection.
OTHER NOTABLES
Pat Nee Story- Interesting story to say the least, script is desperate for a rewrite though, probably wont get there in time and doesn’t matter if it does, as it doesn’t tell Whitey’s story, it tells Pats which although interesting, won’t be what the general public is looking for from all of this press that the arrest and trial have brought and will continue to bring. Would like to see it get made as well if the interest remains high after the above two or three.
AND THE WINNER IS…. WHITEYs ACTUAL STORY. Assuming someone gets it. If not BRUTAL is the closest thing to all of the facts and dirty details up until and I believe even after Whitey’s magical disappearing act. But who can argue with a Chuck Hogan/ Graham King Pairing after the success of THE TOWN?
Eddie McKenzie has been completely discredited. And there is absolutely no redemption in his life story yet. He was NEVER connected to Whitey. He is a con artist and his latest scam (besides on Facinelli)is in recently embezzling money from a church in Boston. Google it.
What suckers these Hollywood guys are.
Just wondering how you got to read all these scripts? Also, Affleck and Damon’s movie will probably be the ONLY movie to make it to nation wide theater’s and the rest will be Indies…How many movies can they make on the same subject???? That alone will make large movie production companies stay away from making a movie about the same subject matter as another one just did…Look at john Gotti’s story is way more BRUTAL then Whitey’s story and how many movies were made about him and all his side kicks? Their making one now with Travolta but i personally would have rather seen a Sammy “The Bull” movie made…just saying…P.S. he was the KING of all RATS!!!