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.
You look like a young David Morse. Maybe if he had a younger brother or something…
I think Neil Patrick Harris looks like you and is a pretty good actor…he might be a good choice
How about a reunion of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson where Danny drops his famous line “I’m getting to old for this sh@?” after they steal your identity for the third time. Beginning of flick could have yourself rolling out of bed with beer cans on the floor of your bedroom, half smoked cigarette still in your mouth, shirtless with a .45 in your right hand. You can add a scar here and there. Don’t forget to pop your shoulder back in at some point in the film.
First, who better to play you than Kneau Reeves? He’s got my vote! Second, sure a one-time film based on you is a nice little ego boost, but you’re worth more than that! You should have your own TV series! Think how great that would be in terms of increasing interest in STEM and particularly in cyber as a career. It could modeled on ’24’ with you uncovering a cyber incident and finding the bad guys every week in less than 24 hours. Just think of where you could go on location! Estonia, Beijing–certainly Shanghai, Moscow, Langly, s-0-0-0 many places! Congrats and have fun with this — and oh, hold out for the screening to be in Washington, D.C.! I’ll be an usher at the theatre, 🙂
Hey I kind of look like you…perhaps I could play the lead role!!!
Hey Tim! Be careful what you wish for!
Congratulations, Brian! You’re making a huge, positive difference in our wacky wired world today.
I vote for Henry Cavill (Superman). Resemblance is too close to deny.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0147147/?ref_=tt_ov_st
Vinnie, weren’t you the one who sent me this?
http://krebsonsecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Krebs-Superman.jpg
Most gracious congrats to you Brian. You deserve every bit of fame you have worked so hard for.
And, yes, Ed Norton it should be.
This is cool, but I believe many optioned stories never make it to the big screen. You’ll still be a hero if that turns out to be true in this case, though, BK. You’ve educated so many people!
I still say you’ve got the rugged good looks to play yourself as leading man!
Seriously, congratulations on well deserved recognition. Keep up the good work!
Hollywood, eh? I imagine Krebs sitting in a dark, windowless room, lit only by colored LEDs and LCDs, surrounded by extremely fast scrolling text and useless grpahics on multiple giant monitors typing madly on a folding keyboard, to track down a polymorphic virus with multichannel magnusverbum encryption that is jumping around the network stealing credit cards.
Brian, you should guest star in an episode of Person Of Interest.
I would nominate the Burn Notice guy, Jeffrey Donovan. He’s good looking and funny, just like Brian.
Danny DeVito is your man. He will also know the best stuntmen to take all the hits.
Matt Damon is the first who comes to mind. He seems like he has the right persona to fit a cyber sleuth gumshoe running off to Russia and thereabouts!
“Identity Taken” : Liam Neeson plays an investigative cyber-reporter (based on real-life Brian Krebs) who exacts ruthless revenge on a ring of eastern European hackers who steal his daughter’s identity.
Jeremy Renner! He’d be awesome to play you… Congrats, Brian!
In order of preference:
Justin Long
Chris Pine
Jim Parsons
Chris Evans – Captain America
How about Kenneth Branagh? Independence, intelligence, reputation, and a classic face, as well as the ability to be both aloof and versatile. Whoever plays you won’t be able to do the real you justice because Hollywood never does. Just warn your family and friends that the big screen version will probably include fluff and sensationalize to make it sell! Best wishes…just don’t let it distract you from your real work because the rest of us need your skills too much. Jimmy Stewart would have done well if he were still with us.
…and I’ll be able to say, the guy in this movie taught me how to create a limited user account in Windows XP.
Definitely a movie I would go see! I also vote for Keanu Reeves – style more important than looks. Brian, the role you really want in the movie is technical advisor. The movie can’t get it all right, but you can help get the major parts correct.
edward norton would be a cracker him and dinero have played similar roles and would play you to a tee mate keep up the good work
Benedict Cumberbatch would be my choice, but you would have to have seen him on the Sherlock Holmes PBS series to see the sleuth connection.
I agree that Edward Norton would be a good choice, but how about Joseph Gordon Leavitt.
An accomplished and quality young actor.
Brian, whomever they ultimately select, hopefully the screenplay will do you justice.
But promise us — please — that you won’t change, nor waver from fighting the good fight for all of us. You may feel like a salmon swimming upstream, but perhaps the added notoriety will enable you to reach and educate more people on how to live more securely in today’s information free-for-all.
PS: How will we be able to authenticate your genuine autographed photos?
That is pretty cool! If they go back to the mid 90s, please include me and get Matthew Broderick or Robert Downey Jr can play me as “co-worker #1.”Congrats!
You look like a young Marvin Hamlish.
Sorry, Brian, but this is Hollywood we’re talking about. If Sony have bought the rights to the news story then they can and will do whatever they want with it. You won’t have much of a say, or none at all, in their interpretation of your life story. You have, as some people would say, been pwned.
All Your Life Belong To Us ….
For a start, you’re a white middle-class middle(ish)-aged male. Sorry, that won’t do. We need something the audience will relate to. How about a single mom with an autistic child fighting the good fight in between bouts of dealing with her creeepy Afghan-vet estranged boyfriend?
We need a name … gutsy, intelligent, attractive, established, known …
You will be played by Emma Watson, I guarantee it.
Krebs has to tell people, because no one else is doing it. #ego