Strong Studios Reveals First Original Feature Film

Strong Studios has acquired the rights and screenplay to its first original feature film, The Tank Job, a true-life crime drama adapted from Norman Miller’s book The Great Salad Oil Swindle.

The Tank Job tells the story of Anthony “Tino” DeAngelis and his crew as they nearly destroyed American Express and crashed Wall Street in their con to corner the market on salad oil futures in the early 1960s. Academy Award-nominated Alec Sokolow (Toy Story, Money Talks, Cheaper by the Dozen, Evan Almighty) wrote the screenplay and is on board to direct the film.

Producers are Sam Sokolow (Genius), Nicholas Levis (Darkon, Who is Christmas Eve, Dreamkatcher, High Strung) and award-winning business journalist, CNBC contributor, author and former hedge fund manager Ron Insana, CEO of Insana Entertainment Group. Executive producers are Ballantyne Chairman Kyle Cerminara and CEO Mark Roberson, as well as Strong Studios President David Ozer (Willy’s Wonderland, Trigger Point).

“I told Ron Insana that I would be delighted to see the story of the salad oil scandal made into a movie, and I am pleased that Ron and Strong Studios are now bringing this story to the big screen,” said Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

Ozer said, “The enormous fraud perpetrated by Allied Crude Vegetable Oil Refining Company and conman Anthony ‘Tino’ DeAngelis in 1963 is legendary, and I am excited to work with an all-star creative team to bring this riveting story of how the great salad oil scandal nearly crashed the market, swindled millions of dollars from investors and almost decimated American Express.”

Insana added, “You couldn’t make Tino DeAngelis up. Everybody on the street knew the guy was shady. But, everybody was making money until, you know, they weren’t. This is a crazy comedy of errors and avarice and greed and lies and deceptions. You know, Wall Street. The Tank Job will be like a love child of The Big Short and My Cousin Vinny!”