Channing Tatum Will Play Evel Knievel For Director Darren Aronofsky

Channing Tatum, Hollywood’s most likable leading man, and Darren Aronofsky, one of the film industry’s most interesting filmmakers, are joining forces to make an Evel Knievel biopic. That’s a combination of names and subject matter that we never thought we’d see in the same sentence, but if Tatum wants to jump over buses on a motorcycle and if Aronofksy wants to film him doing it, we’re buying a ticket.

The news comes to us via The Tracking Board, who report that Aronofsky has signed on following a script revision from writer Scott Silver (The Fighter). The Noah and Requiem For a Dream director is replacing Peter Berg, who joined the project in April before departing for reasons unknown. Aronofsky turned down the chance to helm Tatum’s upcoming Gambit movie a few months ago, but the Magic Mike star has a fairly successful track record when it comes to getting interesting filmmakers behind the cameras on his projects. If he wanted to work with Aronofsky, it was going to happen eventually.

Still, the thought of a director as stylized and specific as Aronofsky taking on a biopic of any kind is strange. Then again, him making a movie about a famous stuntman known for driving his motorcycle over increasingly absurd rows of vehicles and becoming just as well known for his bone-shattering failures as his incredible successes makes sense. Aronofsky delved into similar territory with The Wrestler and Black Swan, where he put a lens on the brutal, rough existence of entertainers who puts themselves through physical agony to put on a good show. It actually makes a lot of sense.

There are a few big question lingering right now. First, will the incredibly untraditional Aronofsky be allowed to make an untraditional biopic? Second, will Aronofsky stick around, especially since he’s infamous for dropping the projects when he isn’t guaranteed some level of control? Third, just how awesome is Tatum going to look in Knievel’s trademark red, white and blue outfits? Actually, we can answer that third one – very.