A 2004 Vanity Fair article, co-authored by the late Hunter S. Thompson and longtime journalist Mark Seal, has been picked up for feature treatment by Emmy-nominated “Dumb and Dumber” producer Brad Krevoy.
“Prisoner of Denver,” one of Thompson’s last works before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, chronicles the 1997 conviction of Denver woman Lisl Auman.
Auman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole under felony murder charges, despite contradictory statements and the fact that Auman was handcuffed in the back seat of a police car at the time of the fatal shooting of a Denver Police officer.
Felony murder is a legal doctrine that broadens the definition of murder to include incidents when an offender kills accidentally or without a specific intent to kill.
Auman contacted Thompson from her prison cell, and after years of correspondence and championing her cause, Thompson eventually made contact with Seal.
“I was over at his house around midnight one night,” Seal said. “And Hunter hands me a stack of papers and tells me he wanted me to help him with this case. I go home, and he calls me at 4 a.m. and says, ‘Mark, godamnit, it’s Hunter. I know you’re asleep, but I really want you on this story.’”
Seal, who started his journalism career in the ’70s as a police reporter, said he couldn’t turn down a request from his idol. So the next night he was on the case.
“Hunter was like a city editor,” Seal said. “He sent me to the far corners of Denver. And it was exactly like what you would expect from a story Hunter was involved in: sex, drugs, rock ’n roll, and 100-mph car chases down roads in Jefferson County.”
One of his personal highlights of the investigation, Seal said, was when he had the opportunity to go to the women’s prison in Canon City, Colo., and say the line, “Hunter Thompson sent me.”
“The Hollywood Reporter called us a Gonzo Woodward and Bernstein, though it was mostly Hunter telling me what to do from Woody Creek,” Seal said.
He added that said there was a lot of interest in a cinematic version of Auman’s story when the article came out, particularly after she was set free in March of 2005, a little more than a month after Thompson’s suicide.
“It was really one of his last crusades,” Seal said. “And it’s just a shame he never got to see it succeed.”
Krevoy, CEO of the Motion Picture Corp. of America and an Aspen second homeowner, said after talking with Seal and hearing Auman’s story, he was immediately interested. And the fact that several key parts of the story took place in Aspen cemented the idea in his head.
“Aspen’s been really good to me,” Krevoy said. “I got into the film business because I went to see a movie at the Isis Theatre and got to meet film distributor Roger Corman.”
Krevoy went on to become one of the central figures in the Isis Theatre renovation, and now makes his second home in one of the condos above Aspen’s sole movie theater.
And he never forgot about “Prisoner in Denver.”
“It’s a complex and interesting story that’s relevant in so many ways,” Krevoy said. “Our legal system is always open to interpretation — just look at what’s going on in Arizona right now.
“Both situations are about how the law is applied to ordinary people,” he added. “Sometimes there’s a good result, and sometimes there isn’t. In this case, someone was freed and justice prevailed. And that’s exactly the type of thing that makes for a really good movie.”
Krevoy already is in talks with a multi-Emmy-award-winning writer to craft the screenplay, and with A-listers like Johnny Depp involved with the actual details of the story, the marketing and publicity should be a breeze, the producer added.
“I’m confident that we can get an all-star cast for this,” Krevoy said.
There is no firm timeline for castings and production, but Krevoy said he’s eager to do some of the filming in Aspen.
“I wanted to shoot ‘Dumb and Dumber’ here,” he said. “The city, however, wasn’t very receptive to the idea then. But I already can’t wait to shoot some scenes for this movie here.”
damien@aspendailynews.com