‘Pale Horse’: Cole Hauser Producing & Possibly Starring In Undercover FBI True-Crime Action Thriller At Constantin Film
Actor Cole Hauser is attaching himself to a very cool action thriller feature film project in the works at German production company Constantin Film (recently behind Zach Cregger‘s box office hit “Resident Evil” reboot), with an adaptation of the non-fiction book “Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America’s Nazis” co-authored by Scott Payne and Michelle Shephard.
The report from Deadline also mentions that “Pale Horse” is said to be developed as a vehicle for Hauser to star in the lead role (a dramatic retelling of Payne’s FBI work battling Neo-Nazis and outlaw motorcycle gangs), and it would likely have to be scheduled around his popular Neo-Western series “Dutton Ranch” (one of the many “Yellowstone” spinoffs), where he’s expected to return as his beloved character, Rip.
Based on the true-crime memoir, it explores Payne’s time as an FBI Agent, who was “embedded deep within the country’s most violent subcultures — including his high-stakes infiltration of the neo-Nazi white supremacist group The Base in Georgia, as well as Operation Roadkill, a harrowing two-year assignment where Payne successfully infiltrated the ruthless Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Massachusetts. The memoir details how he navigated a treacherous world of criminal enterprise, intense rivalries, and constant suspicion while pushing his mind, body, marriage, and faith to the absolute limit.”
It certainly gives off the impression of what Matthew McCounghey‘s Rust was up to before focusing on being a homicide detective in HBO‘s “True Detective,” although coming from a non-fiction perspective. Given the current climate in America, Hauser getting involved and potentially starring in “Pale Horse” could help knock down the growing hate in the country and spotlight the criminal side of where it can lead (Neo-Nazi groups and aligned biker gangs perpetrating violence are intertwined with various criminal syndicates).
“‘Code Name: Pale Horse’ is a revealing, terrifying, and unbelievable true story of a single man who jeopardized everything to subvert one of the most dangerous neo-Nazi groups in the U.S. Dubbed ‘the Hillbilly Donnie Brasco,’ Scott Payne’s tough-as-nails account follows the triumphs, the setbacks, and all of the moving parts of undercover operations. He’s truly an authentic hero, and we cannot wait to bring this exciting and urgent story to life,” Constantin’s Robert Kulzer, who was a producer on the new “Resident Evil,” said in a statement.
Hauser added in his own words, “These are the type of stories that I am drawn to as a producer and as an actor. Scott Payne is a real-life hero, with the kind of moxie and edge you would need to risk your life to fight evil. I am looking forward to producing this movie and getting a chance to bring him and his story to life on the screen.”
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The producing team features Hauser and Kulzer alongside Randall Batinkoff (Hauser’s producing partner), who has been tasked with adapting the book into a screenplay. Also, Payne and Constantin’s Oliver Berben will be serving as executive producers on “Pale Horse,” too.
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