Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips To Make Film About Real-Life Nevada Extortion Plot

According to reporting from TheWrap.com, movie star Bradley Cooper will co-produce, with Todd Phillips, a film about a bizarre 1980s Nevada casino extortion plot. The film will be based off of Adam Higginbotham’s popular nonfiction article “A Thousand Pounds of Dynamite.”

An excerpt can be found here.

Authorities found a bomb underneath the Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino in 1980 and moved to disarm it. There was a ransom note sitting on the casino’s second floor.

“I repeat do not try to move, disarm, or enter the bomb. It will explode," the note read.

The letter’s author was demanding $3 million in used $100 bills, delivered by helicopter to intermediaries, with further details to follow. In exchange, instructions would be provided for how to disconnect two of the automatic timers so the device could be moved to a location where it would explode harmlessly. There was a tight deadline: “There will be no extension or renegotiation. The transaction has to take place within 24 hours.” The note concluded with a message for the helicopter pilot making the ransom drop. “We don’t want any trouble but we won’t run away if you bring it,” it said. “Happy landing.”

The bomb was eventually blown up, but no one was harmed.

A landscaper from California was found guilty of putting the bomb there and trying to get the $3 million from the casino. He received life in prison, dying of cancer there in 1996.

Warner Bros. will finance the project.

Cooper is no stranger to moves involving gambling, staring in films such as “American Hustle,” “The Hangover” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Most Viewed Articles