Publisher Jay Shapiro has announced the production of a new film chronicling the controversial life of Buddy Jacobson—once the most successful racehorse trainer in the United States and a flamboyant figure in 1970s Manhattan nightlife.

Shapiro’s connection to the story is personal. His mother, Dawn Eve, was one of Buddy Jacobson’s fashion models in New York during the height of Jacobson’s modeling agency years. At one point, Dawn was even offered the lead supporting role in Taxi Driver alongside Robert De Niro. Recently, in a twist of fate, Shapiro took a maternal DNA test and discovered that famed racing mogul Jeffrey Gural is a close cousin match. Shapiro was stunned to learn that Gural was once a business associate of Jacobson’s in the horse racing world.

Further deepening the synchronicity, Shapiro had a chance encounter with Robert, a long-time friend of Jacobson and a respected executive in the racing industry, at Matteo’s Trattoria in Hallandale Beach. “It was more than coincidence—it felt like a calling,” said Shapiro. “Meeting Robert and finding out about Jeffrey Gural being family solidified my decision to bring Buddy’s story to the screen.”

The action / drama / mafia film will explore Jacobson’s meteoric rise from Brooklyn stable boy to real estate millionaire and modeling agent, his notorious 1980 trial for the murder of John Tupper, and his daring escape from the Brooklyn House of Detention—events that captivated national headlines and shook the city’s elite. It will also probe the controversial conviction, alleged prosecutorial suppression of evidence, and the prison interviews where Jacobson, battling cancer, proclaimed his innocence until his last breath.

Shapiro’s vision is not to glorify or vilify Jacobson, but to portray him as the complex, driven, and charismatic figure he was—flawed, brilliant, and unforgettable. “This isn’t just true crime,” Shapiro explains. “It’s about the American dream, ego, love, betrayal, and the thin line between genius and madness.”

Casting and production dates will be announced later this year.