Steve McQueen/The Great Escape (1963)/The Mirisch Company

Wonderfilm Media just acquired the film rights for and are fully financing an adaption of author Marshall Terrill’s 2010 biography “Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon”.

A book with 10 years of research that it goes in detail on McQueen’s humble beginnings to Hollywood fame to his death at age 50.

In his prime, the 60s and 70s was McQueen known as “King of Cool” and box-office champion, thanks to starring in movies like The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, The Thomas Crown Affair, Bullitt, The Getaway, Papillon and The Towering Inferno.

Ever since publishing, Terrill’s book has drawn a lot of attention from both Hollywood directors such as James Gray and Steven Soderbergh and A-list actors like Ryan Gosling, Jeremy Renner, and Channing Tatum. This film will be produced by the company’s Jeff Bowler, Bret Saxon, and Dan Grodnik, with Terrill serving as an executive producer and creative consultant.

“I think we’ve found a fascinating way into the story of an incredible legend,” commented producer Jeff Bowler in regards to the Manson-link.

The biopic will go in more on the unfamiliar stories from McQueen’s life, such as his unlikely intersection with cult leader Charles Manson, who one-time pitched Steve a screenplay but got rejected. McQueen was even supposed to be at Sharon Tate’s house during the night of the murders.

Source: TheHollywoodReporter.com