The Broke and the Beautiful: Former Phillies Edition

This week on The Broke and the Beautiful, we’ve got more details on Lenny Dykstra’s upcoming biopic, and investors in ex-teammate Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios see some love in Rhode Island’s budget.  Also, a bankruptcy trustee is asking a judge to hold Joe Francis in contempt of court.

We here at Bankruptcy Beat know you’ve been hankering for the latest news on the upcoming biopic on Lenny “Nails” Dykstra. As Variety reported this week (h/t Philly.com), John Lee Hancock, who directed “The Blind Side,” has signed on with producer Gil Netter to direct the film on the ball-player-turned-busted-financial guru, who filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and who’s since found himself in a less-than-glamorous spotlight. Other details of the film are being kept sealed, though Mr. Dyskta has suggested Matt Damon or Mark Wahlberg play him in the movie.

Curt Schilling, Mr. Dykstra’s ex-teammate on the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, has endured plenty of controversy since his 38 Studios LLC defaulted on a $75 million loan guarantee from the state of Rhode Island. Now, the state’s proposed budget plan includes coverage of the next bond payment for the defunct videogame company. According to the Providence Journal, the new budget includes $12.3 million to help pay investors of the company, which filed for bankruptcy two years ago with more than $100 million in debt. Also this week, 38 Studios’ Chapter 7 trustee is looking to recoup about $630,000 in alleged preferential payments made in the 90 days before the company’s bankruptcy filing. According to Law360, trustee Jeoffrey L. Burtch filed 17 lawsuits to recoup money for creditors including PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC and Dell Marketing LP.

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis recently took a turn in the slammer for assault, and it hasn’t been smooth sailing since. According to Law360, a bankruptcy trustee is asking a judge to hold Mr. Francis in contempt for obstructing his ability to administer the company’s bankruptcy estate. In addition to Mr. Francis allegedly harassing company employees, trustee R. Todd Neilson also said Mr. Francis’s failure to return some company property was grounds for contempt. A lawyer for Mr. Francis declined to comment to Law360.

Teresa Giudice likely sought legal advice  after getting charged with several counts of fraud, but the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star also sought guidance from beyond the legal community. In an extended preview, the latest season of “RHONJ” (h/t ABC News), shows Ms. Giudice looking for help from a medium named James. “I sense that things are gonna be fine for you,” he said, though he was “not so sure” about husband Joe, who could face deportation because he’s an Italian citizen. But that’s not all for Mr. Giudice: He’s set to take a trip to New Jersey state court for a pretrial hearing on presenting false identification to get a driver’s license six days after his and Ms. Giudice’s fraud sentencing in federal court.

Write to Melanie Cohen at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @MelanieLisa.

(And just for fun:  Here’s an interesting column on the frequency at which professional athletes file for bankruptcy. [For its part, Bankruptcy Beat has certainly covered its fair share of athlete bankruptcies.])