Ross Dinerstein and Campfire Entertainment have acquired the rights to The New York Times bestselling book The Most Dangerous Animal of All, with plans to make a documentary and then a feature length film about the book. Written by Gary L. Stewart, it details his claims that his biological father was the Zodiac Killer. The title of the book originates from the 1924 short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, which was later adapted into the 1932 film of the same name by the co-directors of King Kong. The story was said to to have inspired the Zodiac killer, and was referenced in one of his ciphers that were sent to the San Francisco Bay Area newspapers saying: "Man is the most dangerous animal of all to kill."



The case has never been solved and there are numerous theories over the years of who the Zodiac killer could have been. There have also been multiple movies made about the subject, including one that was released during the time of the murders, released in 1971, entitled The Zodiac Killer. The most notable film about the killer is David Fincher's 2007 Zodiac, based on two books from true crime author Robert Graysmith: Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer. Graysmith got involved in the story while working at the San Francisco Chronicle when he attempted to decode the letters sent to the newspaper.



In Stewart's book, he details his thirty nine year search for his biological parents, uncovering an assortment disturbing events that includes police records and newspaper articles outlining stories of statutory rape, connections to satanic cults, and domestic violence. In May 2013, Gary was found his biological mother and they eventually met, leading him to discover that the drawing of the Zodiac killer is almost identical to the face of his father, Earl Van Best. Jr.



Van Best was one of the suspects in the still unsolved case. The Zodiac killer claimed to have killed 37 people either by stabbing or shooting, with only seven confirmed victims. There are several suspected murder victims and escapees that are not confirmed. There was only partial DNA and a partial print collected from the crime scenes, with no one being conclusively linked to the crimes. The SFPD still has that evidence. In May, the Vallejo Police Department announced their intention to attempt to collect DNA from the back of stamps that the Zodiac Killer used used in his correspondence.



The documentary will interview Stewart and co-author Susan Mustafa, about the evidence that was compiled. Keif Davidson will direct, who is an Academy Award-nominated director (Open Heart) and whose previous credits include The Ivory Game, Bending the Arc, A Lego Brickmuntary and The Devil’s Miner.



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