Deadline has reported that Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner is primed to star in a new untitled biopic as David Armstrong, a Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter who exposed the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma’s links to the U.S. opioid epidemic by learning that they had been overprescribing patients with addictive pharmaceutical drugs.
This marks the second time the Sackler family's downfall has been adapted to the screen, with the first being the 2021 Disney+ limited series Dopesick. The two-time Oscar nominee stars as David Armstrong, a journalist who uncovered a series of articles based on secret e-mails and documents, which suggested that members of the Slacker family had supported Purdue Pharma's concealment of OxyContin’s potential addiction and strength risk to receive extensive amounts of money. Since the release of OxyContin, over 200,000 Americans have died from overdose-related deaths due to the painkiller. The film will look to show how Armstrong came about the information that eventually led to a ton of lawsuits against the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma.
The biopic is written and directed by filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, while Julie Yorn and Patrick Walmsley from Expanded Media/LBI Entertainment are producers for the project alongside David C. Glasser from 101 Studios’.
When asked about the exciting biopic and what Renner playing the part means, she said:
“David Armstrong’s honor and conviction are a model of what we should all aspire to, and an example of the importance of speaking truth to power. Aron and Gita’s remarkable vision and passion for this story has found its perfect match in Jeremy Renner. We are proud to be working in partnership with the entire team at 101 on this important story. “
Pullapilly also added:
“The real David Armstrong is a man of utmost integrity. We could not be more thrilled to have Jeremy on board to infuse that same integrity into his portrayal of David. We’re excited to work with such a great team to bring this story to a global audience”
Fans can surely expect a wild ride with the MCU star firmly set as the main lead. The film is said to be introduced to buyers in Cannes, though it is still without an official title or release date. Keep up with Collider for further information.