The life and times of one of Hollywood’s coolest icons.
Honestly, we’re surprised it has taken this long but now it seems that Hollywood will finally pay tribute to one of the most impressive leading men of his generation.
The late, great Steve McQueen was recently seen, briefly, onscreen as played by Damian Lewis in Quentin Tarantino’s sprawling, divisive Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but he’ll soon get a more thorough representation.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Wonderfilm Media has acquired the rights to Marshall Terrill’s 2010 biography Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon.
Terrill spent a decade researching the book, which traces McQueen’s life from early days in the American midwest to becoming a Hollywood staple to his untimely death at the age of 50.
The planned feature film has been rumoured for some time, with Ryan Gosling, Jeremy Renner and Channing Tatum all said to have shown an interest in stepping into McQueen’s shoes.
Though McQueen is only briefly sighted in Tarantino’s film, it has long been the stuff of legend that the actor was supposed to be present at Sharon Tate’s house on the evening of the Manson murders, and was specifically targeted by the cult leader.
The story goes that McQueen had a date on the night in question and thus avoided the tragic event.
This aspect of his story appears to be an element that will play out in the new biopic.
“When I found out from Marshall’s incredibly researched and thorough book that McQueen was supposed to be at the Sharon Tate house the night of the Manson murders, I was instantly engaged in that story thread,” said Wonderfilm’s Jeff Bowler.
“I think we’ve found a fascinating way into the story of an incredible legend.”
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