Dark Web: Coen brothers writing new film about Silk Road kingpin

Fox has brought on board none other than Joel and Ethan Coen for its film about Ross William Ulbricht, the man behind darknet market The Silk Road who was charged in 2015 with money laundering, computer hacking, conspiracy to traffic narcotics, and procuring murder.

Originally called Silk Road and being worked on by best-selling author Dennis Lehane, the film has been rechristened simply Dark Web for the moment, according to THR.

The Coen brothers most recent films, Hail, Caesar! and Inside Llewyn Davis, were set in the past but this is set to be a very modern tale, with Ulbricht only being convicted in 2015.

The project is based on a two-part Wired magazine article by Joshuah Bearman that charted the rise and fall of the Silk Road creator, who went under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts.

The story was previously described as having similarities to the Coens' Fargo, with 'labyrinthine twists'.

Ulbricht was ultimately cleared of procuring murder but the evidence was factored into his sentence. The prosecutor said they believed that none of the six contracted murders-for-hire took place despite Ulbricht having paid $730,000 for them.

Chernin Entertainment is producing the film, which has yet to tap a director or cast. The Coens frequently write films that they don't end up directing, as was the case with Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies and George Clooney's upcoming Suburbicon.