Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle, who was one of the three journalists behind the bombshell Rob Ford accusations in 2013, famously put out a tell-all book about the troubled Toronto mayor last week.
Amazingly, in just seven days, the TV/movie rights have been sold for "Crazy Town" -- to Canadian company Blue Ice Productions. The book is already No. 1 on the Amazon.ca best-sellers list.
Doolittle was one of the first journalists to view the alleged Rob Ford crack video and report on its contents in May 2013. Her dogged pursuit of the story has uncovered disturbing details about the mayor’s past and embroiled Toronto police, city councillors, and ordinary citizens in a raucous debate about the future of the city.
But there is far more to the story.
The Ford family has a long, unhappy history of substance abuse and criminal behaviour. Despite their troubles, they are also one of the most ambitious families in Canada. Those close to the Fords say they often compare themselves to the Kennedys and believe they were born to lead. As Rob Ford filed his papers to run for mayor in 2014, Doolittle argues that he can win again.
Blue Ice producer Daniel Iron says, “This is a story about the city in which I have lived my entire life and has great political, cultural and civic meaning to me. Robyn Doolittle's book is a testament to dogged, fearless and exemplary journalism. We are excited to be working with Ms. Doolittle to bring this story to the screen."
Robyn Doolittle notes, "If you tried to make this story up, people would think it was over the top. The Rob Ford investigation is something I've been working on for more than two years. It's something I'm obviously very invested in. It's so much more
than just a crack video and YouTube clips. I am excited that Danny and Lance share that sense of it, and am really looking forward to working with them.”
So who should play Rob Ford? Here are our suggestions (keep in mind some are tongue-in-cheek).
