Sony Pictures is reportedly planning to make a big screen movie based at least in part on my (mis)adventures over the past few years as an independent investigative reporter writing about cybercrime. Some gumshoe I am: This took me by complete surprise.
Source: BrianKrebsFacts.com
The first inkling I had of this project came a few weeks ago when New York Times reporter Nicole Perlroth forwarded me a note she’d received from a Hollywood producer who was (and still is) apparently interested in acquiring my “life rights” for an upcoming film project. The producer reached out to The Times reporter after reading her mid-February 2014 profile of me, which chronicled the past year’s worth of reader responses from the likes of the very ne’er-do-wells I write about daily. Perlroth’s story began:
“In the last year, Eastern European cybercriminals have stolen Brian Krebs’s identity a half dozen times, brought down his website, included his name and some unpleasant epithets in their malware code, sent fecal matter and heroin to his doorstep, and called a SWAT team to his home just as his mother was arriving for dinner.”
I didn’t quite know what to make of the Hollywood inquiry at the time, and was so overwhelmed and distracted with travel and other matters that I neglected to follow up on it. Then, just yesterday, I awoke to a flurry of messages both congratulatory and incredulous on Twitter and Facebook regarding a story in The Hollywood Reporter:
“Sony has picked up the rights to the New York Times article ‘Reporting From the Web’s Underbelly,’ which focused on cyber security blogger Brian Krebs. Krebs, with his site KrebsonSecurity.com, was the first person to expose the credit card breach at Target that shook the retail world in December.”
“Richard Wenk, the screenwriter who wrote Sony’s high-testing big-screen version of The Equalizer, is on board to write what is being envisioned as a cyber-thriller inspired by the article and set in the high-stakes international criminal world of cyber-crime.”
Judging from accounts of the screenwriter’s other movies, if this flick actually gets made someone vaguely resembling me probably will be kicking some badguy butt on the Silver Screen:
–The Expendables 2: Sly Stallone gets revenge.
– The Mechanic: Jason Statham hits hard.
– 16 Blocks: Bruce Willis…well..Bruce Willises.
– The Equalizer (Fall 2014): Denzel Washington tries to hide from his past life of kicking butt.
I still have yet to work out the details with Sony, but beyond remuneration (and perhaps a fleeting Hitchcock-style cameo) I would be delighted if I could influence the selection of the leading man. In the past week, I’ve been told I look like both Jim Carrey and Guy Pearce, but I’m not so sure. But if I had to pick one of my favorite actors, I’d love to see Edward Norton in the role. What about you, dear readers? Sound off in the comments below.
Update, 8:24 p.m. ET: Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Jennifer Bjorhus managed to get confirmation from Sony that the studio was working on this film.
Well, at least the title is set:
“They call me Mr. Krebs!”
Apologies to Sidney Poitier….. 🙂
You do have a resemblance to Guy Pierce. What nobody mentioned yet is he (in Memento) played an investigator who was immersed in the underground (like you) trying to catch a killer and with a tough memory problem. So, he could pull the role off.
Norton’s skill is undeniable. He can play almost any kind of role. His parts were about the only thing I liked about Bourne Legacy. If anything, he’s so good that him being an option hurts other good actors chances to prove themselves. If he’s chosen, though, you know he’ll play it well.
Bruce Willis is a great actor, as well. However, his style doesn’t suit being you in the slightest. His Die Hard 4 performance was also his weakest in the series as Bruce and cybercrime just don’t mix quite well. He’s a low tech, funny, kinda crazy, ass kicker. His performance in some suspense movies show he could do it, just not be best at it.
Jim Carey is out cuz he doesn’t look anything like he used to. (See Kick Ass 2.) And he was always goofy even in his serious roles.
I’m going on a limb and saying Aaron Eckhart. A good chunk of what you do is conning the crap out of crooks. In Thank You for Smoking, Aaron showed he’s got the sly stuff down pat. In Dark Knight, as Harvey Dent, he showed he could play an investigator, a caring boyfriend, a fighter, and a guy on receiving end of worst kinds of evil.
As I’m for giving lower profile actors more chances, I vote Aaron as his performance would beat everyone you mentioned except maybe Norton’s.
The movie should stick as much as possible to reality. In this case reality beats imagination. If the movie could reflect the reality as it is, as it is reflected in your blogs, I would really like to see it. I would hope that at least now, when actors are around computers and programs and speak technicalities, they would just stick to reality. That’s way I’m thinking that the best person to act Brian is Brian Krebs. Nobody can reflect better what’s going on than you…
Hopefully they will bring Mr. Krebs in as a technical consultant at the very least. Otherwise we’ll probably end up with something like this:
http://youtu.be/hkDD03yeLnU
I’d love to see Edward Norton in the role.
Me too, I choose Edward Norton.
+1 to Aaron Eckhart! (nice analysis @NickP)
Matthew McConaughey like the character in True Detective before he left the force and went on his drug/drinking binge.
Marshall Allman is my pick to play Brian. No offense to the other actors, but I think it should be someone who is younger and fresher-looking. Check out Marshall’s picture at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1483867/
Edward Norton! That would be awesome. I agree w/you having to be a tech consultant. Can’t have some diluted half-truth laymen nonsense polluting the uninformed. Plus…they have to know that if they screw it up they’ll be called on it 1000 fold in your blog and by your readers.
Ed Norton it is – and no other!
We need the best….
I choose Edward Norton too.
Matt Damon