Bradley Cooper Is Set to Play Crimefighting Vigilante Mark Bolan in An Action Franchise, Too
It was announced this week that Bradley Cooper will co-produce a film about a real-life casino extortion plot that took place in Reno, Nevada in the 1980’s. The film will be based around a bizarre casino bomb plot involving the Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino in 1980. It has not been announced whether Bradley Cooper will star in the star, though he is likely to have a role on some level.
Bradley Cooper is working with Todd Phillips to produce the film, who was the producer of “The Hangover” series. The production is expected to be based on a popular nonfiction article on the case, “A Thousand Pounds of Dynamite“, by Adam Higginbotham.
The Bomb Threat
Around 5:30 in the morning on Tuesday, August 26, 1980, a member of the staff (Bob Vinson) found a bomb at the second floor of Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino. He noticed a strange, heavy-looking metal box with plywood legs pressing into the carpet. The contraption had not been there 20 minutes earlier, and he was certain the device did not belong there.
Vinson alerted Simon Caban, the casino’s security supervisor. By the time Mr. Caban arrived, staff members and janitors had manned the phones and called the authorities, including the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and the Reno fire department. Simon Caban had been a door-gunner on a helicopter in Vietnam, and he had just taken a training course on letter bombs. When he saw the strange contraption and saw a letter on the floor, Simon Caban became suspicious and concerned.
Officials Discover a Note and a Bomb
When they took a closer look, officials began working with Caban to learn the truth. He and a sheriff’s deputy took cover behind furniture, then began poking the letter with broomsticks. It didn’t look dangerous, and they eventually collected the note, which contained three pages of writing. The note, when read, delivered a stern warning.
The note read, “I repeat: do not try to move, disarm, or enter (sic) the bomb. It will explode.”
$3 Million Demand
The bomber’s letter went on to demand $3 million in used $100 bills. He demanded the money be delivered via helicopter to intermediaries. These people would have further instructions.
These instructions would include how to disconnect two of the automatic times, which would allow the devices to be moved to a safe location, where they could be exploded harmlessly.
No Extension or Renegotiation
The letter went on to impose a rigid deadline, along with the warning, “There will be no extension or renegotation. The transaction has to take place within 24 hours.”
Concluding the note was a message for the helicopter pilot making the drop. The note finished with, “We don’t want any trouble, but we won’t run away if you bring it. Happy landing.”
Spoiler Warning: Details of the Caper’s Ending
That is the set-up for the movie. Those who want to wait until the film comes out to see the ending should skip down to the next section of the article.
Eventually, the demolition team was able to blow up the bomb without anyone being harmed. Authorities tracked the bomb back to a California landscaper, who was later found guilty of extortion in a court of law.
Bradley Cooper Vehicle
Warner Bros. will finance the film’s production. Bradley Cooper must enjoy the gaming culture or Las Vegas, because he has had several movies based around one or the other. Cooper became a mainstream actor after his role in “The Hangover” series of film comedies. He’s also been in “American Hustle” and “Silver Linings Playbook”, both about gambling in one way or another.
It is uncertain how true-to-life the casino extortion production will be. Many Hollywood movies about casinos and gambling tend to play fast-and-loose with details, especially when game-play is involved. Given that this movie is more of a police drama than a tale of casinos, it might offer a realistic portrayal of the events in February 1980. Most of the tension in the film will be based on the suspense of whether the bomb team safely defused the situation, so adding a sense of believability and realism likely would do the producers well.
Bradley Cooper and Todd Phillips formed a production company this month, so they can collaborate on launching a Mark Bolan series of action films. While the Don Pendleton character, whose alias is “The Executioner”, might not be known to younger audiences, it is a strong franchise. Mark Bolan has appeared in over 600 novels and has generated over $200,000,000 in sales worldwide.
