Andrea Di Stefano: I am mad for Escobar movie?

Andrea Di Stefano was deemed crazy for making Escobar: Paradise Lost.

The Italian writer and actor has tried his hand at directing with the upcoming thriller film, based on the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.

After several failed attempts at documenting the criminal's life in the past, such as Oliver Stone's project which never took off, Andrea knew there would be pressure on him.

"I was very aware. Everyone was making me aware of it. I would meet people on the street who would say, 'Are you crazy to make a movie about Escobar' If Oliver Stone is not able to do it, who are you to try'" he told Total Film.

"I don't know [why others have failed] and I don't care. Everybody has their own idea of Pablo Escobar: I think it's very difficult to make a movie about Pablo Escobar. You have two hours, two-and-a-half hours, to make a movie and talk about a man who went from being a street kid to politician to drug dealer to most wanted man."

Benicio Del Toro portrays the main man in Andrea's feature, which follows surfer Nick (Josh Hutcherson) as he realises Pablo is the uncle of the girl of his dreams.

Josh thrived in his role and shared the outlook of his alter ego, revealing Nick believes Pablo was a "good guy".

"[He thought Pablo was] this great family guy, who is a politician, building hospitals for families in poor communities," the star added.

After meeting several people who had interacted with the real life criminal, Andrea made a conscious effort to focus on Pablo's family in the movie. The filmmaker was also careful not to stereotype as he believes Pablo wasn't necessarily a bad guy.

At the height of Pablo's operations, his cartel brought in over $60 million a day. His death by gunshot remains a mystery until this day, as it is unsure whether he fired the fatal blow or not.