John McAffee made his name founding the anti-virus software firm that made his name, but more recently he’s been making headlines for being a fugitive, hiding out in Belize and being suspected of the murder of his neighbour.
It’s little surprise this has attracted the attention of Hollywood, with Variety reporting that Warner Bros has hired Crazy, Stupid, Love. duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa to direct a movie about the man. The duo have some experience telling the story of larger than life characters thanks to I Love You Phillip Morris.
The movie will be based on Joshua Davis’ Wired article, John McAffee’s Last Stand, which is well worth reading. McAffee developed the first commercial anti-virus programme, but cashed out of the company in 1994 and hasn’t had anything to do with it since then.
More recently he’s been living in Belize, and went on the run after he was suspected of the murder of American expatriate and neighbour Gregory Viant Faull. McAffee claimed he was investigating it himself and had become a fugitive because he was certain he was going to be framed by the Belize authorities. However he may not be the most reliable of people, as he’d previously been arrested on suspicion of unlicensed drug manufacturing (methamphetamine) and possession of an unlicensed weapon.
McAffee then tried to seek political asylum in Guatemala, but they denied his application. He then reportedly faked a heart attack to stop him being deported back to Belize, giving his lawyer time to ensure he was sent to the US instead.
Although there’s no info on what sort of film is planned, with Requa and Ficarra at the helm, expect it to be darkly comic. It’s certainly one hell of a story.
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