Darren Aronofsky has been considering a couple of different projects for his NOAH follow-up, and his next film just might be a biopic about Robert "Evel" Knievel starring Channing Tatum as the famed daredevil.
The Tracking Board was the first to break the news that Aronofsky is in talks with Sony to direct, with Deadline later confirming that early negotiations have begun. TB is also reporting that THE FIGHTER and 8 MILE scribe Scott Silver has been tapped to do a rewrite of Reid Carolin's script, which is based on the 2008 Stuart Barker book Life of Evel. Tatum acquired the rights to Barker's biography back in 2012.
Book synopsis from Amazon:
He's in the Guinness Book of Records for the most broken bones in a single year. He claimed to have slept with more than 2,000 women. He battled alcoholism and gambling addictions, was jailed for attacking a colleague with a baseball bat, and blew an estimated $60 million fortune. And he became a superstar for repeatedly staring death in the face with his headline-grabbing stunts on his flying motorbike. Evel Knievel was the last great gladiator, an extraordinary thrill-seeker with an even more extraordinary life that endeared him to millions.
A searching and at times harrowing re-appraisal of the life of Evel Knievel, Stuart Barker's definitive biography captures the superstar status that Knievel held and also examines the originator of Xtreme sports–a man whose love of gambling, women and drinking, ensure his legend will live forever. Through meticulous reporting and interviews, Barker penetrates the legends to divulge the complete story of one of the most compelling Americans ever.
Some may think a movie about the legendary stuntman is almost too normal of a project for Aronofsky, but look at what he did with THE WRESTLER, which also featured a person who put his body at risk for the entertainment of others. Regardless of what he decides on for his next film, I hope that the director is ready to get back behind the camera for a new movie.