Newport, R.I. (AP) -- Playwright David Mamet is adapting for the silver screen the life of Providence's longest serving mayor, who is imprisoned for corruption.
Mamet will base his screenplay on the book, "The Prince of Providence," by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mike Stanton. The book describes the rise and fall of former Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr.
Cianci stepped down from the top job at City Hall in September 2002, the day he was sentenced to five years and four months in federal prison on a racketeering conspiracy charge. He has appealed the conviction.
Rhode Island filmmaker Michael Corrente announced Mamet's commitment on Saturday at the Newport Film Festival.
He said Mamet "read the book and called me and said, 'You're kidding me.' I said no, it's all true. He said he couldn't write half this stuff. I said, I know, it's amazing."
After six years as a state prosecutor best known for busting the New England Mob, Cianci took over City Hall in 1974.
He was re-elected twice, but his political career came to an abrupt halt when he pleaded no contest in 1984 to attacking his estranged wife's lover with a fireplace log. He got a five-year suspended sentence and had to leave office.
But he stayed in the public limelight, becoming a popular radio talk-show host. Six years later, he was back in the political arena, reclaiming his job in 1990.
Cianci is credited as transforming Providence from a downtrodden, Mafia-riddled city to a town recognized for its beauty and embrace of the arts.
But Stanton's book also describes Cianci as someone who bullied subordinates, hired people with criminal records and used police surveillance against political opponents.
"Politics, drama and comedy," Corrente said -- perfect for Mamet and a movie.
Corrente, who will direct the film, said shooting was expected to begin in Providence early next year.
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