Darren Aronofsky in Talks to Direct Evel Knievel Biopic

By Borys Kit

Darren Aronofsky is in talks to team up with Channing Tatum to tackle the Evel Knievel biopic for Sony Pictures.

The project, which was previously untitled but will now be called Pure Evel, is still drawing its elements, but the studio is hiring Scott Silver to do a page one rewrite and work with Aronofsky on the draft with the plan that the Black Swan director will then strap himself into the director’s chair.

At the same time, the studio is bolstering the project by securing the rights to the book Pure Evel.The studio already had the rights to the book Life of Evel: Evel Knievel, written by Stuart Barker.

Damien Saccani is joining Tatum, Reid Carolin, Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti as a producer on the project.

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 was 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 Co. Knievel died in 2007 at 69.