Seth Rogen and Michael Keaton will star in “King of the Jungle,” a comedy about the true story of tech magnate John McAfee.
Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“I Love You Phillip Morris”) are directing from a script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, based on the Joshua Davis Wired magazine article “John McAfee’s Last Stand.”
Keaton will play McAfee, creator of the McAfee Antivirus software. McAfee cashed in his fortune, left civilization, and moved to the jungle in Belize, where he set up a compound of guns, sex, and madness. Rogen will portray Wired magazine investigator Ari Furman, who 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, slippery reality, and murder.
Production companies are Condé Nast Entertainment, Zaftig Films, MadRiver Pictures and Endurance Media, and Epic Entertainment. MadRiver and Endurance are co-financing. IMR International will introduce “King of the Jungle” to foreign buyers at the American Film Market, which opens Oct. 31 in Santa Monica, Calif. CAA Media Finance is representing the U.S. rights.
The film will be produced by Jeremy Steckler of Condé Nast Entertainment, Zaftig’s Charlie Gogolak, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, MadRiver’s Marc Butan, Endurance’s Steve Richards, and Epic’s Joshua Davis.
Rogen starred in and produced “The Disaster Artist” for A24 and “Sausage Party” for Sony. He is currently in post on an untitled Lionsgate comedy, starring alongside Charlize Theron.
Keaton was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and starred in “Spotlight,” directed by Tom McCarthy. He can next be seen in Tim Burton’s “Dumbo” for Disney, which will be released in March.
Rogen is represented by UTA and Principal Entertainment LA. Keaton is represented by ICM Partners and Ziffren Brittenham.