Deadline is reporting that director Ron Howard has signed on to helm an upcoming drug trafficking drama titled Mena. Scripted by Gary Spinelli, the film (which is currently set up at Universal) will tell the true story of Barry Seal “an obese aircraft pilot who, throughout the 1980s, served as a drug trafficker for the CIA and the South American Medellín Cartel. He delivered contraband into the titular town of Mena, Arkansas until 1986, when he was shot to death by Medellín assassins in Baton Rouge.”
Howard has a pretty impressive track record when it comes to telling true stories. Whether it’s Apollo 13, Rush, Frost/Nixon or any of his other efforts, every time that the director tackles a non-fiction tale it usually results in a stirring and riveting film. So, with that in mind, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what Howard can do with Mena.
Admittedly, I’m not at all familiar with the story behind this project but it does sound intriguing and with the right cast in place, it could make for a pretty compelling film. After all, I didn’t know a single thing about James Hunt or Niki Lauda before watching Rush and it turned out to be one of my favorite movies of 2013.
With several films currently in the works, we might have to wait a bit for Howard to get around to shooting Mena, but hopefully it will get in front of the camera sooner rather than later. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.
Tell us, does Mena sound like a good project for Ron Howard to tackle? Let us know in the comments section below.