‘King Of The Jungle’: STX Nears U.S. Deal For Seth Rogen, Michael Keaton-Starrer – EFM

STXfilms is in final negotiations to acquire U.S. distribution rights on dark comedy King Of The Jungle, the movie based on the wild true story of rogue tech magnate John McAfee. As Deadline previously reported, Seth Rogen and Michael Keaton are in talks to star. STX is committing to a wide theatrical release. CAA Media Finance is brokering the deal with Carolyn Steinmetz and Jordan Lichtman at STX.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are directing King Of The Jungle from a script by writing duo Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. IMR International introduced the pic at the AFM and will continue foreign sales at the EFM in Berlin this week.

Based on the Wired magazine article “John McAfee’s Last Stand,” the film will tell the true story of rogue tech magnate McAfee (Keaton), creator of the McAfee Antivirus software, who cashed in his fortune, left civilization, and moved to the jungle in Belize. There, he set-up a Colonel Kurtz-like compound of guns, sex and madness. In the film, Wired investigator Ari Furman (Rogen) accepts what he thinks is a run-of-the-mill assignment to interview McAfee, but once he arrives in Belize, he finds himself pulled into McAfee’s escalating paranoia, unhinged reality, and murder.

King Of The Jungle is from Condé Nast Entertainment, Zaftig Films, MadRiver Pictures and Endurance Media, who are also co-financing, and Epic Entertainment. Producers are Condé Nast’s Jeremy Steckler, Zaftig’s Charlie Gogolak, Ficarra and Requa, MadRiver’s Marc Butan, Endurance’s Steve Richards and Epic’s Joshua Davis.

Rogen is repped by UTA and Principal Entertainment LA; Keaton is with ICM Partners and Ziffren Brittenham.