Relativity Media is making a movie about legendary oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. The company’s already hired Lasse Hallstrom (My Life As A Dog, Cider House Rules) to direct the picture, which is being adapted from Ron Chernow’s 1998 book Titan: The Life Of John D. Rockefeller Sr. by Dallas Buyers Club screenwriter Craig Borten.
Rockefeller co-founded Standard Oil in 1870 and ultimately became the world’s first billionaire. With his wealth adjusted for inflation, Rockefeller is often considered to have been the richest person in recorded history, holding an estimated $663 billion in today’s dollars. Still, he gave most of that money away, contributing to the creation of institutions of higher learning like the University Of Chicago and the eradication of diseases like yellow fever and hookworm.