So, we already know that Damien Chazelle’s next film will be his prison-set drama starring Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig. However, the project he was supposed to shoot this summer — “Evel Knievel Goes On Tour” — is still in the works at Paramount, despite Leonardo DiCaprio dropping out.
Here’s Daniel Richtman reporting that ‘Evel Knievel,’ still in development, is now eyeing — who else — Glen Powell for the lead role. At this point, you might as well just insert Powell’s name as a placeholder on any big project requiring a male lead.
‘Evel’ is currently set up at Paramount, where Powell has a notable working relationship, highlighted by “The Running Man,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “and Everybody Wants Some!” If he chooses to take on the role of Knievel, it would likely be because DiCaprio dropped out due to prior commitments with Martin Scorsese.
“Evel Knievel Goes On Tour” has a screenplay written by William Monahan (“The Departed”) and Terrence Winter (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Sopranos”). This will not be a straightforward rise-and-fall biopic. Instead, the story is set in a single year, 1974, and focuses on Knievel’s ambitious plan to jump across Idaho’s Snake River on his motorcycle.
Knievel was an American stunt performer and entertainer, known for his motorcycle jumps (and bad temper). During his career, he suffered more than 433 bone fractures, earning a Guinness World Record for the “most bones broken in a lifetime.”
Knievel ruined his career when he attacked a man with a baseball bat over an unflattering book written about him. The victim was knocked unconscious and required major surgery to repair his arm. Knievel served six months in jail and lost all his endorsements and contracts.
As for Powell — Chad Powers himself — he has Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” coming out next month and wrapped production earlier this year on J.J. Abrams’ next film. Oh, and he’s rumored to star alongside Michael B. Jordan in Joseph Kosinski’s “Miami Vice” reboot, set to shoot in 2026.