Pablo Escobar was, in spite of his short, stocky complexion, one of the most feared people in all of South America. He had sworn open warfare against the United States, whose politics he saw as nothing but the worst stripe of interventionism.

Needless to say, this was one revolutionary with motives more personal than political. After all, it wasn't fueled by anger at capitalism, his ire was more pragmatic than most: Escobar was, for the U.S., the most wanted person in the world.

Who knew that, decades after his very dramatic death, he would also become a Hollywood star. Of sorts, posthumously, as two different production teams race to complete their version of the greatest drug trafficker the world had ever known.

Joe Carnahan, who now goes by the surname of 'Smokin' in his personal cyber blog, has, according to Variety, nagged 'Love in the Time of Cholera' star Javier Bardem, as well as 'Batman' Christian Bale, to star in his version of the story based, according to the director of 'Narc' and 'Smokin' Aces', on the book 'Killing Pablo' the reportage book on the drug trafficker written by Mark Bowden, of 'Black Hawk Down' fame.

On the other side of town, J2 Pictures partners Justin Berfield & Jason Felts and producer James Reach have reached an agreement with Escobar’s brother, Roberto Escobar Gaviria in acquiring the life and literary rights to the book “Mi Hermano Pablo,” written by Roberto Escobar in 2000.

While 'Killing Pablo' is backed by Bob Yari and Mark Gordon, the other team have recluted none other than Oliver Stone who, previous to becoming the famed director of 'Platoon', 'Wall Street', and 'Natural Born Killers' was the screenwriter of the now quintessential drug dealer film, “Scarface" (Directed by legendary Brian De Palma).

Stone and company have in turned attracted director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"). Although originally written by Hakim Quest, both him and David McKenna (“Blow”, “American History X”) are working with Stone on a new rewrite, as both movies are rapidly heading toward production, what with the strike situation looming over Hollywood and also the recent announcement by both camps in order to psych the other into abandoning their project.

While Carnahan has remained mum about his schedule, the Stone camp promises to begin shooting in the first quarter of 2008 in Colombia, no less, and Puerto Rico.

International sales for this latter film will be shopped around by Jere Hausfater, through Essential Entertainment, at the upcoming American Film Market taking place in November.

Oliver Stone, upon taking on the project, made a reference to 'Ari Gold', the fictitious super-agent of the HBO show 'Entourage', where a storyline revolves around an imagined film project based on the Medellin Cartel, which has ironically kickstarted a surge of interest, in the real Hollywood, for both Escobar projects.

Escobar gained notoriety in the 1980s, first as one of the richest men in the world through his leadership of the Medellin drug cartel, the world’s most extensive cocaine-trafficking network, that inflicted more than a decade of terror upon the people of Columbia during Escobar’s reign, but most famously because he once offered the Colombian government to repay the whole national foreign debt if he were not extradicted to the U.S.

He famously ordered a command attack to the Supreme Court of his country and negotiated his arrest in a prison specifically build to hold only one prisoner, himself, after which he regained his freedom and continued a clandestine rule that lasted until the police raid that ended his life.

In "Killing Pablo", reporter Bowden has researched the whole U.S. involvement in the final manhunt, speaking with CIA and intelligence personnel who were in country at the time of the operation. The Oliver Stone godfathered team, however, promises to tell the other side of the story.

“My brother will be portrayed as a ruthless head of the Medellin Cartel. This is just 10% of the story. The other 90% is the story others trying to portray him simply don’t have.” Roberto Escobar said.

If both productions are to go forward, as it is expected to happen, it would be the first time that a classical Hollywood biopic on a foreign subject would have a parallel, more comprehensive motion picture being made.

In most cases, once the Hollywood motion picture gains wide release, attracting ticket buyers with its explosive subject matter and impressive production values, then the more modest effort will try to, not always successfully, cash in on the name recognition with an effort that tries to 'rectify' the historical narrative, usually to little effect.

Among these examples, one can count 'Jinnah' (1998) that tried to offer a different version of India's independence than that offered by 'Ghandi' (1980) or 'Eva Peron' (1996) that went for a more nationalistic take than what was offered in Evita (1996). Unlike any other post-revisionist attempts, the one based on the recollections of Escobar's brother will be financed through the very same studio system.

Escobar’s criminal career began during his childhood in Medellin, as a car thief and kidnapper to murderer and king of an enormous cocaine empire. Escobar became so wealthy from the drug trade that in 1989 Forbes magazine listed him as the seventh richest man in the world. One of the most brutal, powerful drug dealers in history, he was also a hero to many, and a natural politician who strived to create goodwill among Colombia's poor.

J2 Pictures, the production company of actor/producer Justin Berfield and Jason Felts, is also currently slated for pre-strike production on “Who is Doris Payne,” the story of now 75-year-old international jewel thief whose career spanned five decades and was subject of a media frenzy over a year ago on her capture, and are also working with Carolyn "Mountain Girl" Garcia in a Jerry Garcia story covering his early years.

With Oliver Stone as producer and the director of 'Training Day' collaborating in one of two parallel film projects already in motion about the life of world-known trafficker, Pablo Escobar, a man who hungered for publicity, of the wrong kind if necessary, might just as well achieve what he never dreamed of in life- to become a great Hollywood story.