Jamie Smith, a self-described CIA operative and co-founder of private military company Blackwater, has optioned his just-published memoir “Gray Work: Confessions of an American Paramilitary Spy” to Red Planet Entertainment and Pathbender, TheWrap has learned.
In “Gray Work,” Smith recounts his exploits as a CIA-trained spy working for the State Department and how he co-founded Blackwater after 9/11, as well as his decision to leave the private security firm.
Smith is a controversial figure in the world of private security. And the accuracy of his book has been called into question by CIA veterans such as retired officers James Hughes and William D. Murray, which is just one reason why Red Planet and Pathbender felt the material would make a good movie.
“Gray Work” was published in April by HarperCollins imprint William Morrow and Company, which moved forward with the book, claiming that the CIA itself vetted the manuscript.
Combining covert military intelligence with boots-on-the-ground realism, “Gray Work” claims that Smith has helped to shape modern-day warfare. The author argues that this gray area between public and private security, as well as the warriors who occupy that space, has become an indispensable element of battle as we know it today.
Smith went on to start his own security company and deluxe training facility in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
The movie will be produced by Red Planet’s Wes Benton and Pathbender’s E. Thompson. No screenwriter or director is attached at this time.