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Leonardo DiCaprio is still unconfirmed for Damien Chazelle’s Evel Knievel biopic, but The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody is also reportedly in negotiations to co-star.

Following the dismal box office performance of 2023’s Babylon, director Damien Chazelle publicly wondered if he might be in ‘director’s jail’, despite making an absorbing film about the golden age of Hollywood. Whichever way you look at it, though, Babylon was a sizeable commercial failure for Paramount, and Chazelle duly set about writing a much more modestly-costed follow-up project, set in a prison.

Somewhere along the way, though, another project bubbled up when Leonardo DiCaprio showed some interest in it. and Chazelle suddenly found himself looking at a greenlight for another high-budget project: a biopic of American daredevil, Evel Knievel. DiCaprio reportedly entered negotiations, Paramount are said to have fast-tracked things and reports suggested that the whole thing could go before cameras this summer.

Fresh after taking home his second Academy Award for Best Actor, Deadline reports that Adrien Brody is considering taking on a role in Damien Chazelle’s Evel Knievel On Tour, which has Leonardo DiCaprio in negotiations to star. However, the report states that discussions are still in the very early stages, and nothing will happen until DiCaprio’s deal closes.

THR adds that Brody could be up for the role of Shelly Saltman, the “author and sports promoter who was viciously attacked by Knievel by an aluminum bat.” Chazelle and DiCaprio have been working on the project for quite some time, and production could even get underway this summer, assuming a deal can be reached with DiCaprio. William Monahan (The Departed) has written the script.

Related Adrien Brody and Halle Berry recreate their Oscars kiss at last night’s event

Evel Knievel was known for his death-defying motorcycle stunts, breaking...

Will Evel Knievel be revving his engines this summer?

That is a question facing Paramount as it looks to close a deal with Leonardo DiCaprio to star in a biopic as the motorcycle daredevil who became famous for jumping over cars, fountains and canyons. Damien Chazelle, who last directed Babylon and has a first-look deal with Paramount, is due to helm the feature.

The deal-making has been going on for months, since late last year at least, and while that process plays out, eyes are on other roles. Adrien Brody, who just won a best actor Oscar for his work on The Brutalist, may be one of those waiting in the wings.

While there is no offer for a role, Brody is said to have met with Chazelle for the part of Shelly Saltman, the author and sports promoter who was viciously attacked by Knievel with an aluminum bat.

Chazelle...

For decades, Leonardo DiCaprio has kept Hollywood on its toes by delivering the perfect blend of tabloid-worthy bad-boy charm and being idolized as a timeless movie star of classic and legendary films. His rise to fame following James Cameron’s 1997 opus Titanic was not in vain as the actor then kept proving himself as the industry’s next figurative golden goose.

Titanic [Credit: Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios]

In the immediate aftermath of Titanic, DiCaprio threw himself into a rigorous rite of passage to challenge his reputation as a heartthrob by working with the biggest names that the industry had to offer. Thus followed Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, Buz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, Christopher Nolan’s Inception, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning The Revenant.

However, the most captivating of all was DiCaprio’s historic De Niro...

Shelly Saltman, a sports promoter who helped fuel interest in the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match and Evel Knievel's attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon, has died. He was 87.

Saltman died Saturday in Los Angeles, publicist Michael Saltzman announced.

The original president of Fox Sports, Saltman worked for Lew Wasserman at McA television and for Mark McCormack at Img. After launching his own PR firm, he represented musical acts including Andy Williams, The Osmonds, Roger Miller and Ray Stevens.

Later, he managed the careers of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky,...