Channing Tatum will put on Evel Knievel's stars and stripes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Channing Tatum will produce and star in a biopic of ’70s daredevil Evel Knievel. (See? Just like the post title promised.) His producing partner and “Magic Mike” screenwriter Reid Carolin will write the script, based on Stuart Barker’s 2008 book “Life of Evel.” Columbia Pictures is the studio behind the project.
Here’s THR’s description of Knievel:
Born Robert Craig Knievel, the stuntman became a household name in the 1970s for his nationally televised motorcycle jumps. Ever the showman, Knievel became recognizable for his use of a Stars-and-Stripes getup and known for his 433 broken bones. At the height of his celebrity, he gained endorsements from Harley-Davidson and a toy line by the Ideal Toy Company. Knievel died in 2007 at the age of 69.
Was he the father of extreme sports? Or just proof that the ’70s, just as much as now, produced its share of zany TV?
Tatum’s had an amazing year, with “The Vow,” “21 Jump Street,” and now “Magic Mike.” He’s booked for a number of projects, including “Foxcatcher” for Bennett Miller, “Jupiter Ascending” for the Wachowskis, and one of the White House in jeopardy movies, “White House Down.”
