James Gandolfini is EATING WITH THE ENEMY in new role for HBO Films

James Gandolfini returns to his familar ground in his next role for HBO Films. The studio has made a book and life rights deal for their new film about Bobby Egan to be based on the book Eating with the Enemy: How I Waged Peace With North Korea from my BBQ Shack in Hackensack, by written by Egan and Kurt Pitzer. Egan is the "owner of a Hackensack rib joint who  became involved in back channel negotiations with North Korea to stop producing nuclear weapons." 

According to Deadline, Egan wanted to make help and "began his unlikely diplomat role by knocking on the door of the North Korean Consulate near the UN and saying, “I want to be your friend.” That led Egan to live a double life out of Being There. Calling himself "Kim Jong Il's guy in New Jersey," Egan made four trips to North Korea. After he became the only Westerner appearing in North Korean politburo photos, he was initially considered a controversial figure in the US State Department. But he became a helpful conduit in backdoor nuke talks. In the end, his close friends in the North Korean consulate were recalled to their home country, the underground diplomacy stopped and Egan went back to running his rib joint."

This sounds like a pretty interesting project. I am curious how the story will translate to screen. I love Gandolfini and am happy to see him in another cool role. What are your thoughts on this news?