We've known since 2012 that Channing Tatum was keen to bring the life of daredevil stuntman Robert "Evel" Knievel to the screen. There's been little in the way of updates since that initial announcement, but there's talk this morning of Darren Aronofsky taking an interest in directing the film. It's far from a done deal at present, but it's a tantalising prospect.
Known to his family as Robert Craig Knievel, Evel became a household name in the 1970s for his ambitious motorcycle jumps. Leaping across buses and anything else he could round up, he was known for his flashy patriotic outfits and the 433 bones he broke when several stunts went wrong. When he attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon on a rocket-bike in 1974, both test vehicles failed - but he still got in the third one.
"I really wanted to fly through the air," he said in 2007 shortly before his death. "I was a daredevil, a performer. I loved the thrill, the money, the whole macho thing. All those things made me Evel Knievel. Sure, I was scared. You gotta be an ass not to be scared."
At least two movies have been made about him, one a 1971 effort called Evel Knievel that starred George Hamilton, the other 1977’s Viva Knievel! which featured Evel himself in the lead. There was movement in 2004 on a McG-directed biopic called Pure Evel, but it stalled in development.
Tatum has the rights to Stuart Baker’s 2008 book Life Of Evel and, last we heard, had set producing partner / Magic Mike scriptwriter Reid Carolin to adapt it, with Mike DeLucas and Dana Brunetti also producing. Whether Aronofsky will actually join that team remains to be seen, but we'll keep you posted.