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.
It doesn’t matter who plays you; make sure you get a percentage of the gross since the studios claim they never make a profit on any movie.
If going by resemblance, give some thought to Kevin Connolly, from Entourage.
This is certainly an interesting development. It would have the potential to be an intriguing film.
Unlike some of the other people who have commented above, I don’t expect this to change you or impact your integrity. You might see an increase in traffic to this site, and that’s good for both you and your readers.
I caution you, however, to keep your distance. You won’t likely be given a great deal of power over any decisions, and you’ll almost certainly not get veto power over any casting choices. Ultimately, this film will be inspired by your life, but it won’t likely be telling the true story of your life and won’t really be about you. It could be amazing, or it might bomb, and you’ll have very little control over which way it goes. By keeping a healthy distance between you and this film, you can mitigate the risk of its fate having a strong impact on you. Support it, encourage them to make it something good, but view it as a fun experiment, not a serious biographical account.
I do like the idea mentioned above of Benedict Cumberbatch taking on the role.
Forget about Ed Norton: For 1M$ + a buffet every morning, I can play your role.
I could even cry on screen to show how sentimental the main character is. 😛
It has to be Brian Austin Green
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004977/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Fighting software gone wrong!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S44i6sjRNoA
No question:
Will Smith.
DPR is it really you?
Weird Al Yankovic
Brian,
Before you sign over the rights to your life make sure to read this story on the arcane Hollywood interpretations of authorship for Real-life stories.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040204105030/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1074949658326390.xml
No matter what – I will go and see the movie 😉
Jesper
Am I the only one who is suspicious? SWAT team, heroin delivered, and he deflected those. But now they’re pretending to make a movie, and he falls for it. I don’t exactly know how it could hurt him, but I’m still wondering who is behind it and if it is really legit. If it is, cool. But keep your eyes wide open, just in case.
It’s gotta be Matt Damon!
Daniel Craig.
Matt Damon
Definitely – Jim Caviezel from Person of Interest! This is SO awesome Brian!
The guy who plays Jesus, really?
Bob’s right. Get a percentage of the gross. Ed Norton would be good, as long as its not the one from The Honeymooners.
This is more well-deserved publicity for you Brian. Congrats! I would have to pick Matt Damon as well.
Can’t go wrong with Keanu Reeves
Or if humor is more the goal then Seth Rogan would also be pretty funny to watch. Toss in some Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and Norm Mcdonald and it will be a cult hit.
Hmm, I’ve been to the cinema twice in the last 30 years…. I might actually go and see this. Should be interesting for you, good luck.
I think they should do the right thing and hire the actor verified to have the biggest member in all of Hollywood! No matter if the film flops the actor won’t flag, and we need the hero who most matters symbolically to get our digs in. We already know you sport a pair but this would really set off the cyber hackles, and no matter what — this symbolic casting choice will have one or more at least of those chumps eating their own livers for eternity!
But April 1st is a ways off still!
You should contact Kevin Mitnick, who’s had this happen to him. It’s a mixed blessing and the amount of time, costs, and legal fees this may bring should make you wary and keep your distance. People will potentially get a (very) wrong impression…
Aren’t you leaving yourself open to criticism? I’m thinking of the Sony rootkit scandal.
I want George Clooney or Leonardo diCaprio to play you Brian. Congratulations on this wonderful news, I will be one of the first in line to go see it.
Norton or Damon.
Get a fee + % of gross, as others have said, and then rights to reject anything you deem too far from reality in the script (allowing that they are compressing events and people for the sake of film-brevity). For an example of that last issue, look at Lone Survivor. The last chunk of the movie was complete fiction. Even the real guy was laughing at it when he screened it, as they depicted him stabbing someone, which never happened. The whole rescue and time in the village at the end was fiction, not fictionalized. Your story would be more like the film “Insider” than any of the ones by Wenk you named. Get veto power.
Congrats! Can’t wait to see it.
Brian, I seem to be congratulating you a lot lately but congrats once again.
My choice of actor would be Bryan Cranston. The transformation of his character, Walter White in Breaking Bad was spectacular.
I’d like to see him do the same with Brian Krebs, from the young man working in the mailroom of The Post, to the journalist sitting at home with security cameras on one side and a 12 gauge shotgun on the other, thwarting SWAT teams and heroin plots.
Whatever happens with this, I wish you the best of luck.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601376/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t6
They don’t HAVE to pay you a dime – they can simply re-write, fictionalize and publish . . . Good luck getting anything. Stick to cyber-crime, you don’t have a clue about the machinations of Sony’s movie machine (or any other studio), and the horror behind the scenes in making (and screwing everyone they can along the way) a movie that actually sees distribution makes the Target breach seem like a misdemeanor. You’re so far out of your league on this one Krebs . . .
. . . they bought the rights to the news article, if they wanted to deal with you, they would have come to you first. They are interested in the plot line, not you personally.
Hollywood is going to make some bank on it they already sideswiped Brian – he seems to be taking it in stride. Brian if you want to beat them to the punch let’s start a cinema verité reality version before they even start their hack typing out a screenplay that may end up on pirate bay anyway. Just because that’s the world we live in now. Scribbling out screenplays is what I do as I take my own advice and keep all of my work off computers with working nic’s.
. . . he’d be better off (and realize ANY remuneration) engaging a docu-drama production company that would take him on as spec and cut money with him on the back-end (equity rev share). He’s got a good enough story that I know several production houses that would take it on gratis in a heartbeat just for the fun of it – it is guaranteed to make money. Sony didn’t sideswipe him, they stepped over his carcass and then they published the fact they were screwing him – he just doesn’t see it the way we can. His only play is to beat them to market, true.
Cyber mobsters to the left of him looking to take him out and Hollywood mobsters to the right outright swooping in to hack his life. Brian are you really only amused?
Brian Krebs:
Heed the advice of Hollwoodinsider.
You’re being used, a mere vehicle.
Congrats! You ought to have a movie made of your life and work….you rock . Keep it up 🙂
Wait…how come no one’s making a movie with Bruce Schneier yet?
Or has it already been done, albeit under his alter-ego Chuck?