Hollywood really wants to get into the Evel Knievel business.
Though he’s not nearly as prominent in contemporary pop culture as he was in his 1970’s hayday, the late daredevil has had biopics about him brewing ever since his death in ’07. There was a movie called PURE EVIL, written by John Logan, to have been directed by Betty Thomas, and with Matthew McConaughey attached. As recently as this September, there were talks of a Channing Tatum-fronted Knievel flick that both Peter Berg and Darren Aronofsky were up to direct. Now, it’s William Monahan taking a crack at it, with SOPRANOS/WOLF OF WALL STREET producer Terence Winter backing him up.
Right now, Monahan, who has directed two features to date, is only set to write the script, based on Sheldon Saltman’s Even Knievel On Tour, a book that apparently inspired the real-life Knievel to break the author’s arm with a baseball bat. Safe to say it doesn’t pull its punches in its depiction of the world-famous, death-defying motorcyclist, and its focus is the botched jump over Snake River Canyon he attempted in 1974.
Winter, who worked with Martin Scorsese on BOARDWALK EMPIRE and WOLF OF WALL STREET, is apparently trying to land him for this project, reteaming the director with his DEPARTED screenwriter. Scorsese, a vet of both fictional biopics and character documentaries like PUBLIC SPEAKING and the two-part GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, would be an ideal choice of depicting Knievel at the height (no pun) of his '60s/'70s fame, and the cultural phenomenon he, his bike, and his American Flag-ensconced clothing inspired.
Of course, the article surmises that Scorsese would probably go with his guy, Leo DiCaprio, but I’d see someone more all-American, like Josh Brolin or Jeremy Renner (though they’re probably both too old for the role). Not like George Hamilton was the most obvious pick in the world for Knievel, but still, casting someone who invokes the stunt legend’s visage is important to connect with the scores of potential audience members who clearly remember him from TV and the movie he starred in, VIVA KNIEVEL!
After my disappointment with THE WALK, I’m not so sure that a recreation of Knievel’s feats will have the same impact as actually seeing the real thing, whether live back in the day or today via Youtube. No amount of CGI (which will obviously be the preferred route of this production, this isn’t fucking HOOPER) can replicate that jaw-dropping feeling his fans must’ve gotten every time his bike peeked over that ramp and flew those great distances for several heart-stopping seconds. Luckily, Knievel’s personal life was filled with drama (see the incident mentioned above), and he was such a larger-than-life character that I could see a big star having a grand old time wheeling around and showboating in the ‘70s hair and duds.
And shit, if Terence Winter, William Monahan, and Scorsese are doing the flick, then it’s gotta be worth checking out, right?
