Neon is making a film about a Ukrainian man from Vice Canada who became embroiled in a drug scandal
13 May 04:03
Neon Studios is developing a film inspired by the true story of Slava Pastuk, a former music editor at Vice Canada of Ukrainian descent who became a central figure in an international case involving the smuggling of cocaine into Australia. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Finn Wolfhard, star of the series “Stranger Things,” will star in the new film, and Matt Johnson will direct, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
What is known about the new Neon film
Neon has acquired the rights to Matt Johnson’s new film. The project does not yet have an official title, but it is already known that it will be based on real events involving a former Vice Canada editor and an international drug trafficking case.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot is inspired by the story of a Vice Canada editor who recruited people into an international cocaine trafficking scheme. Finn Wolfhard is set to play the Canadian investigative journalist who helped bring this story to light.
The film will be directed by Matt Johnson, known for the films BlackBerry, Nirvana: The Band, The Show, The Movie, and the upcoming biopic Tony about Anthony Bourdain.
Who is Slava Pastuk
Slava Pastuk is the pen name of Yaroslav Pastukhov, former music editor at Vice Canada and Noisey. He was born in Kyiv in 1990 and moved to Canada with his mother four years later.
He has worked for various publications—Vice Canada, Noisey—and has interviewed Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) and other musicians.
Pastuk also sold marijuana through the dating app Grindr until a drug cartel came after him in 2015, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. First, he smuggled cocaine from Las Vegas to Australia, and then recruited five more colleagues from Vice Canada to repeat the route, but this time with a shipment of cocaine worth $20 million. At that time, his colleagues were arrested, and Pastuk, who had managed parts of the operation from the magazine’s office, was fired from Vice.
In 2019, Pastuk was sentenced to nine years in prison, but after just three years, he became eligible for parole: he is allowed to leave prison during the day to study or work, but must return every night.
In 2022, Pastuk published the book “Bad Trips: How I Went from Vice Reporter to International Drug Smuggler.”
Finn Wolfhard to Play an Investigative Journalist
One of the key roles in the upcoming film will be played by Finn Wolfhard, known for his role as Mike Wheeler in the series Stranger Things. The actor has also appeared in the new Ghostbusters films.
According to preliminary information, Wolfhard will not play Pastuk himself, but rather a Canadian investigative journalist who helped uncover this story.
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Pastuk’s book has already told this story
In 2022, Slava Pastuk published the book *Bad Trips: How I Went from VICE Reporter to International Drug Smuggler*. In it, he described his journey from a Vice journalist to a defendant in an international criminal case. The book was published by Dundurn Press.
The book is billed as a memoir about a man’s fall from the media world, who found himself at the center of a story involving drug trafficking, journalism, fame, ambition, and criminal liability.
@slava.pastuk How does #Canada’s criminal justice system try to rehabilitate lifers? As in, people in #prison ♬ original sound – SlavaP
Why this story caught the film industry’s interest
Pastuk’s story has all the elements that often interest the film industry: the media world, youth culture, an international scandal, a journalistic investigation, a criminal case, and the personal downfall of a person who worked at one of the world’s most famous youth media outlets.
For Neon, this could be another project in the vein of edgy auteur cinema based on real events. The studio is already known for supporting unconventional films and actively working with festival and independent cinema.
When will the film be released?
The film’s release date has not yet been announced. It is currently known that Neon has acquired the rights to the project, Matt Johnson will direct, and Finn Wolfhard will play one of the lead roles.
It is also reported that Neon will handle international sales of the film at the Cannes Film Market.
More details about the cast, title, and release date are expected to be announced later.
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