Terence Winter Set To Script ‘Otherwise Illegal Activity,’ True Terrorism Thriller Financed by The Hideaway Entertainment

EXCLUSIVE: The Wolf of Wall Street and The Sopranos scribe Terence Winter has been set to write the script for Otherwise Illegal Activity, based on the true story of a recently de-classified undercover operation. The film is centered on an American convict recruited from behind bars by the Joint Terrorism Task Force to infiltrate the circle of a prominent community leader suspected of harboring large-scale plans to commit acts of terrorism on U.S. soil.

Dean Baker and Tom Hardy will produce under their Hardy Son & Baker banner (Taboo) alongside Jonathan Gray and Matthew Rhodes for The Hideaway Entertainment (“Cherry”), Jay Thames for 77 Films (“Go North”) and Lex Sidon (“Grand Street”). The Hideaway Entertainment’s Kristy Grisham will be executive producer alongside Hardy Son & Baker’s Tallulah Fairfax. The Hideaway’s Ryan Cassells co-producing.

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Baker, Hardy, Thames, and Sidon originated the project and introduced to the marketplace via a confidential video pitch by the undercover operative. The Hideaway Entertainment bought the pitch after winning a heated bidding war for the story and will finance.

CAA brokered the financing deal and represents the film’s worldwide distribution rights.

The Hideaway Entertainment’s Matthew Rhodes said that “Terry’s insight into the world of crime and corruption and his meticulous approach to crafting complex and layered characters makes him a perfect fit for this movie.”

Hardy & Baker called Winter “a masterful storyteller with an undeniable talent for crafting powerful, character-driven worlds that bring rich, complex, and morally ambiguous stories to life in a thought-provoking, resonant, and singular way.”

The Oscar-nominated Emmy-winning Winter is repped by CAA and Jackoway Tyerman, Hideaway by CAA and attorney Christian Simonds of Reed Smith; Hardy Son & Baker by Range Media Partners, CAA and attorney Sloane Offer, and 77 Films is represented by Ryan Saul at The Cartel and attorney Darren Trattner at Jackoway Austen Tyerman and Sidon by attorney Robert Szymanksi. Terence Winter is represented by CAA and attorney Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

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