Anonymous Content Picks Up Hot Drug Cartel and Horse Racing Book (Exclusive)

Anonymous Content has picked up the film rights to Bones, the forthcoming book by Joe Tone about how a young FBI agent took down a Mexican drug cartel’s horse racing empire in Texas and Oklahoma in 2012.

The book is based on the buzzy 2015 Dallas Observer article, “The Rookie and the Zetas,” which first broke the story. Tone chronicled how the Mexican drug gang the Zetas was obsessed with American quarter horses and invested millions in building a world-class horse racing operation in the U.S. before the FBI caught on and dismantled it. 

Anonymous Content’s Richard Brown will produce, with Steve Golin on board as executive producer. Mauricio Katz (Miss Bala, The Bridge) is attached to write the screenplay.

Bones is set to to be published by One World, Random House’s recently rebooted multicultural imprint headed by editor Chris Jackson, who recently talked to The Hollywood Reporter about his plans for the imprint.

Said Brown about the project: “Joe’s original article caught our attention right away, and when he shared the whole story that will be told in the book, it was clear this has the potential to be a terrific movie. I’m excited to collaborate with Mauricio Katz, who is one of the most talented writers I’ve come across in a long time.”

Added Tone: “I can’t imagine a better partner for this material than Anonymous, whose work is consistently smart and inspiring. I’m thrilled that it’ll be Richard and Mauricio bringing this story and these worlds to the screen. It’s an exciting story, and also one that requires sensitivity and nuance. Anonymous and Mauricio are perfectly suited to pull it off.”

Tone is repped by UTA and David Patterson at Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency and Bradley Garrett at Cohen Gardner Law. Katz also is repped by UTA. Anonymous Content was repped on the deal by Kenneth Wu, vp, business and legal affairs.

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