A Bitter Ice Cream Truck Feud Is Becoming a Feature Film

Coming soon to a movie theater near you: an icy cold tale of ice cream, betrayal, and arson. New Line Cinema has picked up the rights to a magazine article about a bitter Oregon ice cream truck rivalry, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Written by David Wolman and Julian Smith, the September 2015 Epic Magazine story chronicled the conflict between two ice cream truck owners that began in 2009. The turf dispute between Dennis Roeper of Keizer Ice Cream and Efrain Escobar, who sold ice cream out of a van, escalated to involve price slashing, strategic truck maneuvering, and even arson.

The producers of the film include Andrew Lazar of Mad Chance, as well as Joshuah Bearman (who wrote the story that became Argo) and Joshua Davis of Epic Magazine. Eater has reached out for more details on the project.

Intriguingly, it’s not the first vicious ice cream truck feud to make headlines recently: In New York City, rivals Mister Softee and New York Ice Cream have been battling over turf for years, with Softee drivers reportedly carrying baseball bats for protection.

• Ice Cream Truck Driver War Getting Movie Treatment [Hollywood Reporter]
• The Cold War [Epic Magazine]
• Stephen Colbert Explains NYC's Vicious Ice Cream Truck Turf War [E]