Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have rehired Steve Zaillian, this time to rewrite is troubled on again/off again "American Gangster" project. The studio has also committed to a late July start date for the film to be directed by Ridley Scott and star Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe reports Variety.

Zaillian had written the original script about a Harlem drug kingpin who smuggled heroin in the body bags of U.S. soldiers slain in Vietnam. After the film was halted due to budget concerns, Universal conscripted Terry George to pen a downsized version of the story, but producer Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment couldn't let go of Zaillian's vision of the crime story.

Things changed when Scott became interested in Zaillian's version and Crowe followed suit, whilst Washington never lost interest in playing the kingpin. Filming will take place mostly in New York, with a brief stint in Thailand.