Spacey to Bring Down the House

[zengrifter]

Spacey to Bring Down the House
Source: Variety
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(Dead link: http://www.zentertainment.com/categories.php?op=newindex&catid=2)

MGM has acquired the film adaption rights to Ben Mezrich's book BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE: THE INSIDE STORY OF SIX M.I.T. STUDENTS WHO TOOK VEGAS FOR MILLIONS for Kevin Spacey's Trigger Street Productions to develop and Spacey to star in. The book tells the true story of a group of M.I.T. students that trained themselves to be card counters and consequently won millions in Vegas. "Like OCEAN'S ELEVEN, it's that story of beating the house, only this story is true," said Michael Nathanson, chief operating officer and president of MGM Pictures. "Kevin will play the M.I.T. teacher who is this brilliant ringleader, and there are great parts for a young cast. We want to start production before the end of 2003."

(Dead link: http://movies.go.com/movies/B/bringingdownthehouse_2004/)

Kevin Spacey is developing a film about MIT card sharks who use their wits to fleece Las Vegas casinos. Based on a best-selling book, Bringing Down The House, by Ben Mezrich, the film will tell the true story of Ivy League students using card-counting to beat casinos at blackjack. Spacey will produce the film through his production company Trigger Street. Speaking in London yesterday, he said no decisions had yet been made about a screenwriter, director or cast, although Variety reports that he himself plans to take a supporting role.

 

[learning to count]

Ken Uston will roll in his grave!

The corporations are devious put to out this movie add all the hype, sex, and violence. A urban hip hop music score. A pop cast Brittany Spears, BS Boys, Puff Daddy etc....and we have the saturday night fever hit of the new era. Everyone will run to learn how to count and win thier way to high roller suite heaven. 6-5 BJ payoffs, SF 21 with half a deck cut off, csms in every home... I need to write a book I can a make million...I'll call it "So you wanna be a whale". "The card counters guide to riches, fame, and a movie contract."

Sarchasm aside this too will pass. History is cyclical with an evolutionary change. Hegel says it is the forward movement of our time towards our revelation/final outcome. Hey maybe we will be celebrities too

PS Kevin Spacey???

 

[Hinoon]

When I first found out about the MGM sale, my initial thought was that it would be a bad development. A popular movie inspiring people to learn to "play" instead of plugging their ATM cards into slot machines might thus inspire casinos to adjust their rules. The "cover" would be blown. But I really don't think that's the case. Vegas movies make money. Con movies make money. But people realize that they aren't MIT students. Some people will pick up a book (like the thousands before them) and learn a halfassed count. They'll sit at the table, have a few drinks, and while checking out the ass on that waitress by the craps table, invert the count and lose their shit. Casinos will see a resurgance of clients who now think that the key to breaking Vegas is to bring in a great big bankroll. Maybe a few bright people will learn to count and count well. But honestly...they probably would have regardless.

With all of that said, there's no writer, no talent attached (Other than Spacey). It's a far cry from being made. Most movies take a good 5 years to develop and make it onto the screen. It'll be interesting to track the project and see how it turns out.

It'd be a good flick though.

ZG, Mayor, et al. do you think that a movie would hurt the game? I'd love to hear the opinion of you guys that are actually living it.

 

[Buick Riviera]

Or It Could Be. . .

. . . Like The Big Player, the movie rights sold but the movie never made based on Ken Uston's book.

Buick

 

[zengrifter]

do you think that a movie would hurt the game?
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No, on the contrary, it will improve the overall conditions a we bit. zg

 

[The Mayor]

I agree

The more popular BJ becomes, the more people will "think" they know how to beat it and lose. But with more interest comes more competition for those people. The margins can be smaller because more tables will be open.

 

[Rob McGarvey]

Re: Big Player

This time it will probably fly with the new version of it ala Ocean's 11, with the Hip Hop til ya don't stop boggie ta boggie ta da boggie da beat. These sites will get a lot of hits, books will sell, people will sell courses, and 98% of the people that hit the tables will pay for it. 1% will break even, and another 1% will end up making money.

 

[ZOD]

And...

And, as people flock to the tables to "beat" the game, perhaps it will underscore to the casinos that more profit is made getting ploppies in than keeping skilled players out.

ZOD

 

[phantom007]

RayMon

Rainman is the Cause of 6:5 BJ and CSM's. Now I know why! Probably Dustin Hoffman cost me my 100X odds on Craps in Missouri casino's too.

 

[Theef]

I'm not a pro but I do have two cents.

I think ANYTHING that publicizes, let alone glamorizes, ANY table game over slots is good for the card counter.

 

[joe]

duhhh

clearly, this movie will inspire successful teams to take from the casino....this equals bad new for card counters

 

[Canadian Plopper]

The flaws in that book are myriad

I will preface my comment by saying that I have gambled all over the world with a particular emphasis on Las Vegas and the Bahamas (the featured locations of that book)and also read Burning Down the House about a year ago. I remember that after reading it I concluded that much of it was pure fiction. The description of the gambling in Bahamas was so full of inaccuracies that I concluded that that section was completely false and fabricated. The use of big players to wander around in a drunken stupour only to drop winning $10,000 bets and then wander off seemed implausible (and certainly impossible this decade) and may result in success once -- BUT ONLY ONCE! A better card counting movie that I saw a few months ago was Canadian made and I wish I could remember its name -- a great scene near the end of it involves the card counter pretending to speak Chinese and saying that a marksmen had a gun trained on the pit boss (in this "illegal" casino) and would shoot him unless he let him take the money. Anyone know the name of that movie?

 

[Tom]

Yeah,also the wanna be's and losers.