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Michael Bay's 'Small Movie' is an Adaptation of Pain and Gain

by Alex Billington
April 20, 2009
Source: SlashFilm

At the end of last week, we wrote about how Michael Bay wanted to direct a "small movie" in between Transformers 2 and 3. He only hinted that it would be a "dark comedy," but didn't say much else, at least not at the time. However, SlashFilm was sent a tip over the weekend, stating that Bay's small movie is actually an adaptation of a Miami New Times article from 1999 called "Pain & Gain" (which you can read online here). The true story is about a couple of steroid-abusing knucklehead bodybuilders from Florida who become criminals involved in an extortion ring and a a kidnapping plot that all goes horribly wrong.

It's described as a mix of Fargo and Pulp Fiction or even "Point Break with bodybuilders." The original screenplay was written by writing partners Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia movies, You Kill Me, and the upcoming The First Avenger: Captain America. Apparently it's exactly as Bay described, quite small, and there isn't any action besides a car crash. Doesn't sound very Michael Bay to me, but maybe that's actually a good thing? Who knows how much the story has changed, and I'm sure it has (including the title), but this sounds pretty fun. What do you think?

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

Bizzaro

I don' t think it is a great idea at all. A Michael Bay film with no Action. I love Michael's films for what they are. Big Dumb Summer Popcorn Action films. Next you'll be telling me that James Cameron will be moving on from directing great sci-fi flicks like Terminator 2 and Aliens to directing a big dumbass romance film about the Titanic. Oh wait a minute, that already happened. Ha Ha!
d1rEct

pfft... pass. but will see it as long as someone can pay for my ticket.
dom

This is a really bad idea - glamourising a bunch of crooks and killers. Why would you consider doing that?
J.N.L

Leave a story line like that to the Cohen Brothers PLEASE!!
Eric

>> This is a really bad idea - glamourising a bunch of crooks and killers. Why would you consider doing that?<< Yeah, someone should've told Francis Ford Coppola not to do a trilogy of Italian mob bosses.
- Vlparker
  
  This movie is based on a true story. They're not even changing the names of the killers or the victims... there are two families out there missing people that they loved - murdered by two steroid abusing scumbags who thought they could just go around kidnapping people and holding them hostage then KILLING them... the whole story is disgusting and this movie being called a comedy, even a "dark" comedy is a real slap in the face to the families involved... imagine if someone brutally, callously murdered someone you loved, then a few years later, a big time hollywood director made a comedy about the incident. Hilarious.
Mathieu

I expect Bay will make that one car crash take place at a nuclear power station... Still, Im intrigued!
Conrad

Total pass. We all know that since Armageddon, if a movie's screenplay does not have any reason to allow a mass of explosions, battles or all around cheese action - there really isn't a movie.
WEAPON X

The guys who wrote the Narnia movies wrote Captain America? Good news to me!! As for Bay, may he rock on.
I'm in

I'm totally in. I'm tired of everything blowing up. It's so predictable. THIS, I'd go to see.
vittal

i came to know that this movie is MB's dream project so I'm also in for this
http://www.rosenbergandrosenberg.com miami accident attorney

Thanks to Michael Bay for direct a "small movie" that shows how bad influence can lead to bad habits even when you have the right physical strength to make an honest living. Lessons learned: No friend is better than a evil friend.
Bigbloodey

Hey Michael Bay, You really should consider Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds along side with Dwayne.... Think about it???? So luck good luck working on the movie, I hope it has great action scenes.