| Chris "Tiberius" Pine and director D.J. Caruso are set to team up to learn The Art of Making Money, with the sometime-Captain Kirk set to star as counterfeiter Art Williams. Williams was schooled in making fake money by his stepfather, and became the first counterfeiter to crack the supposedly-unfakeable 1996 US currency. By keeping his operation slow and steady, and distributing his notes in dribs and drabs as he travelled cross-country, Williams remained at large for nearly a decade, printing about $10 million during that time. His bills were so good that they once passed right under the nose of an FBI agent, while on another occasion an illegal search and seizure allowed him to escape conviction despite holding $6,000 in fakes at the time. All in all, sounds like a job for someone who can play both intense and cocky - hey, like Chris Pine! Caruso, who directed Disturbia and Eagle Eye, is clearly branching out from his previously steady relationship with Shia LaBeouf. The pair haven't signed deals yet, but are expected to sign soon to start production early next year - after Pine finishes Unstoppable but before Star Trek 2 / XII rolls. If you can't wait in the meantime, check out the book that forms the basis of the film, The Art of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter, by Rolling Stone writer Jason Kersten (expanded from his own article). |
