The Big Sick’s Michael Showalter Directing The Last Ride Of Cowboy Bob

Michael Showalter

by James White |
Published on

Though he usually splits his time between working in front of the camera and behind it, Michael Showalter has recently been focusing on his directorial career, and it's paying off with the likes of Hello, My Name Is Doris and this year's The Big Sick. He's looking to an odd true crime tale for his next film, The Last Ride Of Cowboy Bob.

Not, as the name might suggest, some criminal cousin of The Simpsons' Sideshow Bob, "Cowboy Bob" was in fact the alter ego of a Texas bank robber in the '90s by the name of Peggy Jo Tallas. She pulled off her heists while wearing a towel under her shirt, a leather jacket and a false beard.

Showalter is developing the film, itself based on Skip Hollandsworth's 2005 Texas Monthly article, which tracked "Bob"'s criminal activities. With Jake Gyllenhaal on board as producer, this one comes from Fox Searchlight, and Showalter is now on the hunt for the right actress to play Peggy.

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