Ben Stiller in talks to direct MGM's crime-drama 'The Seven Five'

Ben Stiller's next might be a crime drama. The actor-director is in negotiations to direct MGM Studios' crime drama 'The Seven Five'.

According to a report in Collider, the film is based on the 2014 documentary of the same name from director Tiller Russell and producer Eli Holzman. It tells the story of a corrupt New York Police Department (NYPD) precinct during the 1980s and its ringleader Michael Dowd, who was arrested in 1992 along with a handful of other cops who stole money and drugs. Dowd served 14 years in prison and his arrest exposed widespread corruption in the NYPD.

Sony initially won the narrative remake rights to The Seven Five back in December 2014, and the studio moved quickly to attach Yann Demange (White Boy Rick) to direct, while Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit) was initially eyed to write the script, though he ultimately proved to be too busy. Current MGM boss Michael De Luca was Sony's president of production at the time.

Stiller, who last year won a DGA Award for his work on Showtime's limited series "Escape at Dannemora", is also directing thriller 'London and Apple TV Plus series 'Severance'.