Tony Scott ("Deja Vu," "The Taking of Pelham 123") is set to direct a film about Chippendales creator Steve Banerjee for Scott Free and Permut Presentations says Variety.

The story follows the improbable rise and fall of Banerjee, who went from pumping gas in Culver City to running a high-end nightclub that evolved into Chippendales.

After hiring a New York choreographer to polish the all-male dance troupe, Banerjee became wildly rich, as well as competitive and paranoid when male strip clubs became a phenomenon in the 1980s.

He did in jail awaiting trial after being arrested for arranging a hitman to murder the choreographer.

Lisa Schrager ("Pay The Girl") penned the script based on a manuscript written by Rodney Sheldon. Scott and David Permut will produce.

Scott says the film's tone will be closer to his "True Romance" than his more action-oriented recent films.