Oliver Stone to Direct Robert Moses Film: Report

Oliver Stone is reportedly going to direct a movie for HBO about legendary urban planner Robert Moses based on author Robert Caro's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography The Power Broker.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news Wednesday evening that Stone, whose films have portrayed George W. Bush and Richard Nixon, will direct a biopic of the master builder, one of the most powerful and prolific people in government of the 20th century.

Robert Moses: A Civil Service Giant

Moses, New York City's first and longest serving Parks Commissioner, was the brains and political brawn behind massive public works and infrastructure projects, including Long Island's Jones Beach, the Triborough Bridge in New York City and the much of the state's highway system.

While brilliant in public planning, he was politically shrewd and immensely powerful, often circumventing elected officials who meddled in his work. He also had a longtime rivalry with President Franklin D. Roosevelt dating back to his days as New York's governor.

He has also been criticized for his treatment of the poor and minorities, many of whom were displaced when Moses destroyed neighborhoods with his projects.

Caro's epic biography, a hefty 1,336 pages, was published in 1974.