‘American Gangster’ Drug Kingpin Frank Lucas to Be Focus of Documentary (Exclusive)

The legacy of heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, whose story was dramatized in the 2007 narrative feature American Gangster, is the focus of a forthcoming documentary film.

Pusherman explores Lucas’ life through the lens of the lore surrounding Black gangsters and is set for DVD release from MVD Entertainment Group on June 24. Documentarian and author Legs McNeil directs and narrates the movie.

The film features interviews with Mark Jacobson, the journalist whose New York magazine story initially shed light on Lucas’ operation. Other figures included in the project are crime writer Michael Daly, hip-hop historian Fab 5 Freddy and culture pundit Darius James. Pusherman will delve into how Lucas helped to redefine the drug trade, in addition to what his story said about New York City power structures and how he was embraced by the music community.

“Pusherman is the best Behind the Music episode ever done about a non-musical figure,” says Jacobson. “It is more entertaining than American Gangster and a f*** of a lot truer.”

The trailer for Pusherman can be seen below and is exclusive to The Hollywood Reporter.

Lucas, who died in 2019 at age 88, was memorably played by Denzel Washington in Ridley Scott‘s American Gangster. Lucas was known for boasting about smuggling heroin from Southeast Asia to the U.S. by using the coffins of dead American military members.

During a conversation late last year with THR, Scott recalled Washington spending time with Lucas on the set. American Gangster co-starred Russell Crowe as the prosecutor who brought Lucas to justice.

“I’m very proud of that film,” Scott told THR. “It was a very interesting experience because he had the real Frank hanging around on the set.” The director added, “Denzel was very respectful to him and kind of liked him.”