Dustin Lance Black has been tapped to scribe the screenplay for the 20th Century Fox and Rough House Pictures adaptation of the Barefoot Bandit story with David Gordon Green now officially in final talks to direct.
The project first came together earlier this year with Gordon Green, Jody Hill and Danny McBride’s Mandate Pictures subsidary, Rough House, acquiring the rights to a book proposal on the story of Colton Harris-Moore by Bob Friel. With the teen still on the run at that stage though, no time frame was in place on the development of the project.
Now, with the recent capture of infamous bandit after a boat chase in the Bahamas, pic is reportedly on the fast track with the recruitment of new go-to scribe Black for the screenplay. “It’s clear that there’s a reason the country has become so enamored with this story, and that is worthy of investigation,” Black told Variety. “Like any great outlaw story, it speaks to the social and political mood of a generation.”
A modern-day Robin Hood with over 90 thousand Facebook fans (he had only 25 thousand in April before his capture), Harris-Moore escaped juvenile detention at the age of 18 and became quickly known for an audacious, rogue lifestyle living in the woods of Washington State. He self-taught himself how to drive, captain and fly stolen cars, boats and planes as he continued to elude authorities and capture — all while continuing his criminal activities and earning the nickname the ‘Barefoot Bandit’ due to his preference to prowl without footwear.
It’s without question a fascinating story that was always destined for the silver screen with a Black/Green teaming likely to be a godsend. We did hold slight fears of a Green retread having already explored similar themes with his 2004 teen-on-the-run tale “Undertow” but with Black on board, it should provide the director an interesting perspective on the story and make for an exciting collaboration.
Green has his medieval stoner-comedy “Your Highness” out next April and is slated to shoot “The Sitter” with Jonah Hill this fall and the “Suspiria” remake supposedly happening sometime next year. When could this slot into his schedule? Who knows but given the timeliness of the subject matter, we wouldn’t be surprised if he jumps a few spots on Green’s priority list. As Green sarcastically quipped at SXSW in response to his abundance of projects with him attached, “As soon as the check clears all those movies are happening. I’m going to be really busy for the next 48 years.”