The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Warner Bros. is planning to explore the FIFA corruption scandal on the big screen, having secured the rights to Houses of Deceit, a book by investigative reporter Ken Bensinger.
The movie will focus on Chuck Blazer, the American FIFA exec turned FBI informant, whose arrest on bribery and tax evasion charges ultimately blew the lid on the corruption rife within the world footballing body.
“I love the con-man story and just love that this is about a very strong sense of good and bad,” Bensinger tells EW. “There’s not a lot of ambiguity about how these people behave. The IRS and FBI, and all these people who sort of did the good work and brought down something that was untouchable, because the power of FIFA internationally is unbelievable. It’s as if you combined the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL into one organization.”
The project will reunite Warrior director Gavin O’Connor and screenwriter Anthony Tambakis, while Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are attached to produce through their production company Pearl Street Films.