Stu Ungar is a legendary figure in poker history, and in addition to being a brilliant poker player, he was also known for his drug addiction problems. Stu was the only person in history to win the WSOP Main Event as many as three times, and even though he won millions of dollars in his lifetime, he still ended up broke in the end. We've brought you a unique series of articles about his life, where you can find out everything you need to know:
In 2003, a movie about his life was released called High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, starring Michael Imperioli, best known from The Sopranos.The unauthorized feature film was made without involving the Stu´s Family. In 2006, ESPN brought us the documentary One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stu Ungar. This documentary went on to win Best Documentary of the Year, along with three other Emmy Awards, including Best Writing.
Rights to Oscar-winning screenwriter
A few days ago, new information came to light that the family of Stu Ungar has given the rights to the adaptation of Ungar's life story. These rights were acquired by a father and son duo consisting of Eric Roth and Geoffrey Roth. Eric Roth is an acclaimed screenwriter who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Forrest Gump. He has also received Oscar nominations for Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Star is Born and Dune. In addition to his Academy Award nominations, he has also received several Golden Globe nominations.
Eric and his son are now working on a series about the life of Stu Ungar. "We couldn't be more thrilled to have been given the opportunity to tell Stuey's story. He was as uniquely talented and fascinating a personality as you can get - he was simply one of a kind. We are honored and grateful to his family for allowing us to participate in spreading his legacy," the Roths said in an official statement.
Stu Ungar's daughter Stefanie also gave her take on the new upcoming series, " We never felt ready to share - until now. When I met Eric and Geoff Roth, we knew we had found the right team to tell my father's story. Eric first met my father in 1979 when he watched him play cards in Las Vegas, and it's that connection that gives this project a personal level. We are thrilled to finally honor my father's legacy and share with the world who he really was."
Will an Oscar-winning screenwriter be able to bring the life of this legendary poker player to a larger audience? Will the multi-part series and the connection with Ungar's family be able to bring even more new information from his life? We'll find out soon enough.
Source - wikipedia, imdb.com, hollywoodreporter.com, bankrollmob.com, vanityfair.com