Director Tony Scott is making a new movie about the man behind erotic male dance troupe the Chippendales.

The filmmaker has signed up to document the rise and fall of Somen "Steve" Banerjee, who launched the Chippendales in a Los Angeles nightclub in the 1980s.

Banerjee's fast rise to fame was blighted by a series of lawsuits and criminal charges and in 1993, he faced charges of conspiracy and attempting to hire a hitman to kill a former Chippendales stripper and choreographer.

Banerjee eventually pleaded guilty to counts of attempted arson, racketeering and murder for hire, reaching a plea deal that would put him behind bars for 26 years and cost him his shares in the Chippendales parent company.

He was also linked to the murder of ex-business associate Nick DeNoia, who was found dead in April 1987, but the trial was never concluded - his body was found hanging in his prison cell in October 1994, just hours before he was due to be officially sentenced.

The movie will be executive produced by Peter Saphier. A start date for production has yet to be set, reports trade paper Daily Variety.