While rodeo bull riding was the backdrop for Dallas Buyers Club and this year’s Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Longest Ride, it’s set to get even more of a starring role thanks to Emily Blunt and **Bronco Belle{
Writer/director Khurram Longi is busy rounding up the rest of the cast for the film, which follows the exploits of Raylene Jackson (Blunt), a woman with a chip on her shoulder who harbours a dream of becoming a champion bull rider. She’ll need some support from an old trainer seeking redemption and a shameless hustler of a promoter to make it in a highly competitive field.
According to Longi, the idea was born during a road trip across America. “We were driving down from New York and ended up in Texas where, by chance, we stumbled across the world of rodeo. I had never been to one before. We started to follow the rodeo trail and the world inspired me to write this script. During the writing I was influenced by films like Thelma & Louise and The Color Of Money,” he tells Screen International. “For me this is a female Rocky-on-a-bull type of film. I thought it was a great hook. After seeing Emily in Edge Of Tomorrow I thought she would be perfect, so had her in my mind as I was writing it.” Embankment Films is taking the project to Cannes to sell the rights before Longi kicks off shooting in the autumn.
Blunt will be seen in crime drama Sicario and the Snow White And The Huntsman sequel, simply titled The Huntsman. She’s also providing a voice for indie ‘toon Animal Crackers.