Father-Son Writing Duo Secure Rights To Poker Legend Stu Ungar's Life StoryEric And Geoff Roth Plan To Develop A Limited Television Series About The Three-Time World Series Of Poker Main Event Champ |
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The story of three-time World Series of Poker main event champion Stu Ungar may soon be coming to television or a streaming service.
A father-son writing team that includes an Oscar winner has now acquired the rights to Ungar’s life and is promising a story that offers more information on it.
Eric Roth, who won an Academy Award for Forrest Gump and was a writer of Killers of the Flower Moon and Dune: Part One, partnered on the project with his son Geoff Roth. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they plan to start the project in the coming weeks by researching his life and interviewing those who knew Ungar.
“We couldn’t be more excited to come aboard to tell Stuey’s story,” the two writers said in a statement. “He was as uniquely talented and mesmerizing a figure as they come — he’s simply one of one. We’re honored to be involved and grateful to his family for entrusting us to expound upon his legacy.”
Bringing Ungar’s Life To Screen
Ungar won the main event in 1980, 1981, and 1997. A gifted gin player, he transitioned to poker when he realized there was more money to win. He became a gambler early and was known to be fierce and aggressive at the table, rising to the top in a game previously dominated by older players.
After winning the ‘97 main event, Ungar was found dead in a Las Vegas hotel room in November 1998. The medical examiner ruled that he died from a heart condition caused by years of drug abuse.
There was an unauthorized docu-drama released in 2003 called High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, which featured The Sopranos’ Michael Imperioli.
ESPN produced a feature documentary in 2006, which earned for Emmy Awards, including “Best Documentary of the Year” and “Best Writing.”
The new production will now involve Ungar’s wife, Madeline, and daughter Stefanie in the process.
“We’ve never felt ready to share it — until now,” Stefanie said of working with the writing pair on the series. “When I met Eric and Geoff Roth, we knew we had found the right team to tell my father’s story. Eric first met my dad in 1979 while watching him play cards in Las Vegas, and that connection adds a personal layer to this project. We’re excited to finally honor my father’s legacy and share who he really was with the world.”
Ungar’s life was a roller coaster. Despite winning millions on the felt, Ungar died virtually broke. He remains one of just two players to win the WSOP main event three times, along with Johnny Moss. The Roths last worked together on scripts based on Peter Heller’s novel The River for Amazon and John Mayer’s song Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967.
Card Player’s own Michael Kaplan recently recalled his time getting to know Ungar and was the last person to interview him before his death.
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