Lost and Found

A 35-year-old, never-produced script about the drug world from legendary screenscribe Ben Hecht--willed to an 11-year-old--may find the light of the silver screen as a contemporary drama.

“Brotherhood of Evil,” perhaps the last unproduced Hecht screenplay, was willed to producer George Braunstein by his late lawyer dad, who got it as payment for packaging the 1952 Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis comedy “At War With the Army.” Young Braunstein discovered it a decade ago during his pre-producer days, “then forgot about it.” Now, with two releases coming up in January--”Out Cold” and a remake of “And God Created Women”--he’s rescued it from the drawer.

“It’s about the seamy underworld of the money and power behind the international heroin trade, but it’s less a Mafia story than a character study of the people involved in that world,” said Braunstein. “The few people who have read it are shocked that it’s so old and still right on the money for today.”

The producer will treat it reverently: “We’ll probably find a director who appreciates what he has and maybe make some minor changes. I would be loathe to rewrite this script.”