Glenn Ficarra and John Requa to direct Liar's Poker, from Moneyball writer Michael Lewis

Movies dealing with our current economic climate haven't exactly proven to be big winners at the box office. For one, the subject is totally depressing, but it also serves to remind us that we likely just wasted $30 when we're sorely gonna need that cash in the near future. Baseball movies don't tend to rake in tons of cash, either, but Moneyball proved to be an exception after opening to over $20M. That film was based on a book by writer Michael Lewis(also writer of The Blind Side), and Warner Brothers is hoping one of his earlier books dealing with the stock market will be just as lucrative.

THR reports that Lewis's semi-autobiographical 1990 book Liar's Poker is next on the agenda, and they've hired Crazy, Stupid, Love directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra to helm. The story is partially based on Lewis's own experiences as a bond salesman in the 1980s for Salomon Brothers, and how they practically created a market for mortgage bonds. The book is considered a defining look at Wall Street and the greed that festered within. Hmmm....sounds a lot like what we have now.

Much like Moneyball, Liar's Poker includes a lot of quotes and interviews from actual people, so it remains to be seen how the film version will shake out.  The Moneyball we got on the screen was a lot different than the book. Lewis is apparently hammering out the script himself, something he's never done before. Don't be surprised if WB brings in somebody to do a polish on it, maybe even turning towards Moneyball screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian.