"The King of Sting," a real-life con-man story with echoes of "Catch Me If You Can," has been optioned for a movie version.

Producer Eric Eisner has acquired rights to the material, which centers on Craig Glazer, a colorful criminal who crisscrossed the US for decades posing as an undercover cop and conducting drug stings, pocketing the money and drugs netted from his illegal operations.

Glazer and partner Don Woodbeck were so successful that they were hired by the Kansas attorney general but their exploits ended abruptly when Woodbeck was killed as he tried to land a final score.

Eisner optioned rights to a book Glazer wrote about his dramatic life, titled "The King of Sting: The Amazing True Story of a Modern American Outlaw." Skyhorse Publishing released the book, which Glazer wrote with Sal Manna, in July.

Glazer also has a showbiz link - his father, Stanford, owns the well-known Kansas comedy club Stanford & Sons, which helped launch the careers of A-listers like Roseanne Barr and Jeff Foxworthy.

Eisner is behind the long-running ESPN show "Madden Nation" and produced the 2008 Sundance hit "Hamlet 2."

(China Daily/Agencies, March 27, 2009)