Along with writers Christian Gudegast and Paul Scheuring, the filmmakers spent four years researching and developing the project. "Christian and Paul did quite a bit of research before sinking their teeth into the script," notes Tooley. Adds Gudegast, "From the DEA guys, to the Sheriff’s Department, to the drug dealers, it’s not about black and white. It’s not about cops are good; drug guys are bad. It’s all very gray. We wanted to show this whole world, and how these two agents, Sean and Demetrius, could so easily have gone either way. They could have gone the route of the crack dealer or whatever, but instead they chose a different career path and became cops."
With a fully developed and researched script in hand, the filmmakers immediately captured the interest of Vin Diesel’s representatives. "We thought Vin would be perfect for it," says Nittolo. "Sean Vetter is a man who’s lost his wife as a result of a personal war against the drug cartels and is now not only seeking to enforce the law, but seek vengeance. And Vin brought the realism we were looking for and a whole lot of depth."
Director Gray notes that Diesel has a special appeal as both a blue-collar hero and a movie star. "He has the best of both worlds," Gray says.
"The character of Sean Vetter required somebody to be believable as a law enforcement officer, but also somebody who could be credible in the inner city, as someone who grew up on the streets," adds Newman. "There aren’t a lot of actors who have that credibility, but Vin has all that."
Diesel was fascinated by the character of Sean Vetter, who walks the edge between hero and anti-hero. "In the beginning of the film Sean is the protagonist, you root for him, but by the second half he’s converted," he notes. "So much so that he almost becomes the thing he’s fighting."
Diesel also has an established relationship with New Line Cinema, which acquired the script, through his roles in the films Boiler Room and Knockaround Guys. Co-producer George Zakk, Vin Diesel’s producing partner, notes that A Man Apart nailed the kind of edgy role the actor sought. "It’s dark, set in the drug world, and features fantastic characters," he says. "It’s the psycho-analytical breakdown of a man in dealing with the loss of his wife. It poses the question, ‘What would you do if that was your wife?’"
Acclaimed movie and music video director F. Gary Gray was the producers’ first choice to direct the film. Gray has an established relationship with New Line Cinema, having helmed his first two feature films, Friday and Set It Off, both of which were widely successful.
Gray, who names Brian De Palma’s Scarface as one of his favorite movies, was enthusiastic about portraying the drug trade in a film with multi-dimensional characters and a gritty, acclaimed lead actor. Having worked with Diesel before his rise to stardom from xXx, Gray notes, "I knew I had a great opportunity to work with someone up-and-coming who is a great performer, with really gritty, raw subject matter."
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