Posted on 06/16/2005 10:40:32 AM PDT by Howlin
Tom Hanks' production company has bought the film rights to the life story of Mark Felt, the former FBI official recently revealed to have been Deep Throat, it was reported today. Universal Pictures is understood to have secured the rights for development by Playtone, the company co-owned by Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the New York Times reported today.
The rights, along with those for a book to be published by respected non-fiction house PublicAffairs, are believed to have been sold for almost $1 million (£550,000).
Peter Osnos, the chief executive of PublicAffairs, said the book is expected to be published in spring next year.
It will combine Mr Felt's memoirs and his meetings with Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter he gave secret information to during the Watergate investigation, with material written by John O'Connor, the lawyer who wrote the Vanity Fair article revealing Deep Throat's identity.
Contracts are expected to be announced today.
The movie rights should form the bulk of the payment to Mr Felt, but the full sum will depend on whether a film is eventually produced.
He has said he decided to unmask himself as Deep Throat to raise money for his grandchildren's education.
Meanwhile, the Nation magazine will reveal that he twice led FBI probes into finding the source of the leaks.
Writers David Corn and Jeff Goldberg found documents in once-confidential FBI files now available to the public that showed Mr Felt in charge of finding the source of Woodward and Carl Bernstein's Washington Post scoops that helped bring down President Richard Nixon.
"How Deep Throat Fooled the FBI", which shows how Mr Felt cleverly threw the federal agency off his trail, was posted will be published on June 23 and is already available on the magazine's website.
"He was much more than a secret sharer. He was an operator," says the story, adding he "was able to watch his own back and protect his ability to guide the two reporters".
At one stage, Mr Felt officially met with Woodward in what appears to have been a move to cover himself, the story said.
He agreed to see the reporter in the presence of his assistant, a 25-year FBI veteran, but did not confirm any details presented to him by Woodward. "That was obviously a staged event," Corn said. "Felt needed cover."
How was your vacation?
Thanks for thinking of me!
I am doing great if it wasn't for this um.....disrupter!
I'll bet you two birds and a blue rock he'll never do it...
I'll take the bet and raise you a yellow frog!
Small thing this disruptor is, and we have had far worse as you know!
Vacation was GREAT!
Bough cheese, ate food, swam, it was all good!
I suspect Hanks bought the film rights in order to sit on them. However, if any movie is ever produced, it won't be until after Felt is gone so as not to raise difficult questions about Woodwards problematic account.
I know he won't.
Hmmmm.
I'll have to borrow a yellow frog from The Kid..
Trust me till next pay-day?
:-)
I take that bet and raise you a big fat green toad!
Yah...I know you're good for it! LOL!
Speaking of toads...is econ_grad still with us? Or did he get ZOTTED?
I know,but did you see what he accused or called TX?
Sounds like you had a great time!
Darks: You're not wrong.
Well?
"econ_grad"?
How about it?
You got a hair?
Hi Mrs. N.
got that earlier today.
Part of why i am mad at this person I have not met before.
I haven't told a single lie about anything, and everyone here (except you) knows that.
He is still here,but the Admin mod gave him a warning once again!
He's not only outclassed, it would seem he's outta here...maybe the kitchen got a little warm for him...LOL
That's what I thought!
Just wanted to make sure!
Admin mod gave him a warning for the second time!
Looking back up thread, it looks liek it got too warm for him at post 114.
I saw that, but I don't think it scared him. He is an ECON GRAD, you know!!! Much smarter than the rest of us! LOL!
Nah...I have them all over my house...the more the merrier!
I may be a monkey face, but I got a frog-shaped heart!
;o]
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