Cocaine Cowboys is a totally kick ass documentary about the coke trade in Miami in the early 80s – it’s the real life Miami Vice (including a synth score by Jan Hammer!). The film is being turned into a narrative feature starring Mark Wahlberg as Jon Roberts, the guy who practically invented the American cocaine trade; now Page Six is reporting that Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to play Mickey Munday, the ex-hippie who piloted the planes bringing coke into the country by the bale.
Wahlberg and DiCaprio were involved in drugs together way back in The Basketball Diaries, so it’ll be fun to see them reteam. I don’t know how a narrative version of Cocaine Cowboys can match the scope and the verve of the documentary (seriously, you need to see this film yesterday), but if the cast continues filling out this well, I’m excited to see what the finished product is.
Meanwhile a sequel to the documentary is in the works. Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin’ With the Godmother will focus on the life of Griselda Blanco, the female Scarface. She features in the original documentary and her story is so violent, so over the top and so bizarre that it seems too unbelievable to be true. I’m psyched to see a more in-depth examination of this crazy sociopathic bitch.