John McAfee’s ghost writer's new book has details not in Netflix doc
Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee will follow the anti-virus pioneer on the run, following murder charges.
Netflix is inviting viewers into the bizarre world of anti-virus creator John McAfee in its new documentary, Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee.
In 2012, authorities tried to search for McAfee's connection with the murder of his neighbour in Belize, Gregory Faull. Fearing the police would kill him, McAfee called upon a film crew to document his journey as he went on the run through Belize and Guatemala.
The 90-minute long film will follow the tech tycoon as he goes on the run from murder charges.
But while the documentary delves into McAfee's life on the run, as well of many of his claims, including the belief that the authorities were also after him for the secrets he obtained via hacking, there's a lot we don't get to see according to ghost writer Alex Cody Foster.
"This story is not over. There's a lot more content," Foster told RadioTimes.com exclusively.
Foster hopes to share more of this content in his new book, The Man Who Hacked The World, which is set to be released in April next year.
On what makes the book different to the Netflix documentary, he explained: "The difference is that John hired people who he said had walked through the fire, who had crazy lives, who had killed people and who had gone to prison, or been homeless. All of the people in John's circle were that way and I was no exception – that's kind of why he hired me. He hired me after he learned that I was homeless on the streets of LA for several months, and that I was almost murdered.
"The first part of the book is all about that – it's about how this kid who built a solar-powered trike, hitchhiked across America, was homeless in LA and lost his mind, got it back and became a writer. Part two is the opportunity of a lifetime, like this writer was once crazy to work with this crazy person and discover the truth."
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Most of the book is about the two men learning that they weren't so different, says Foster.
He continued: "The irony there is that John and I were so similar. We had such similar upbringings." The ghostwriter said after opening up to McAfee about struggles he had faced during his childhood, the tech tycoon became rather interested in him.
"One time I talked about how I beat up my dad...and John was fascinated. It was one of the few times in the beginning that he started listening to me with great interest. The other difference is, I go much more in depth about my experiences with him."
Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee starts on Netflix on Wednesday, 24th August. The Man Who Hacked the World: A Ghostwriter’s Descent into Madness with John McAfee is available to pre-order on Amazon.
Read more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what else is on.
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