'ARLI$$' Star Returns to HBO for Betting Pic

[TJ]

http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?30363

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Robert Wuhl, whose sports agent comedy "Arli$$" ran on HBO for an unfathomable seven seasons, will stick with the premium cable network for an upcoming movie about the betting scandal that rocked horse racing's Breeders Cup last fall.

On Oct. 26, Derrick Davis, 29, made an off-track Pick 6 wager that paid off big time, winning over three million dollars. Within days of the bet, though, it was alleged that Davis, Chris Harn and Glen DaSilva, fraternity brothers at Drexel University's chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon, had created an elaborate scheme to get the money. Using Harn's connection with Autotote, which handles most of the nation's racetrack and off-track betting, the men supposedly perpetrated a crime that authorities compared to the Paul Newman/ Robert Redford track scam in "The Sting."

"I see it as a story about growing up -- the scam story is only part of it," Wuhl tells The Hollywood Reporter." " They pulled a scam that worked, but it worked too well. They left a lot of tracks and they got caught."

Wuhl will co-write, direct and executive produce the movie, which will be probably be produced by Tollin/Robbins Prods., which also oversaw " Arli$$." The movie, which will be co-written by Allan Stephen, is part of the overall three-year deal Wuhl signed with HBO, the first project to come from the pact.

Wuhl, a two-time Emmy winner for co-writing the Academy Awards, wrote and directed several episodes of " Arli$$" as well as the film " Open Season." As an actor, Wuhl is familiar from his roles in " Batman," " Bull Durham" and " Good Morning, Vietnam." He hasn't ruled out turning " Arli$$" into an original telefilm under his HBO deal."

[afcassidy]

This sounds great... I'd love to see an Arli$$ movie!