Well, it looks like Jason Momoa is attaching himself to yet another biker project as he’s set to play Hell’s Angels leader Sonny Barger in a feature film adaptation, titled “Hells Angels,” based on his autobiographic book hailing from writer/director John Swab (“King Ivory”), who recently enlisted Miles Teller for his new West Texas drug cop thriller “Copperhead.”
The project’s announcement was snuck into Deadline’s casting reveal for “Coppherhead,” as Swab is set to write/direct the Momoa-produced biker flick based on Sonny Barger‘s very popular autobiography. An infamous outlaw biker collective that was created in Oakland, California, had been famously documented by author and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in the 1960s and ended up writing his own Hells Angels book (Barger’s book was likely designed to counter the unflattering image painted by Thompson), the usually unphased writer walking away with a horrible impression (an example via a CBC program with Thompson in 1967 being confronted by a member of the gang for his negative writings) of the nomadic outsiders witnessing domestic abuse another criminal activities by the global criminal syndicate (with chapters in across the world) involved for decades in murder plots, extortion, sex trafficking, and one of the biggest sellers of illicict drugs (meth, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, crack, and other opiods).
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One of the more infamous events was when The Rolling Stones hired them as security for a free concert in 1969, where there were four deaths, including the homicide of black teenage concertgoer Meredith Hunter, who was brutally beaten and stabbed by members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. During the 1960s and 1970s, their counterculture exploits inspired a string of biker movies (mostly made for the drive-in), some that featured “Easy Rider” actors Peter Fonda (“The Wild Angels”) and Jack Nicholson (“Hells Angels On Wheels”).
Here is the official logline for the Barger book “Hell’s Angel” via Amazon:
The only authorized, authentic book about the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club by founding member, Sonny Barger—featuring a brand new introduction. Narrated by the visionary founding member, “Hell’s Angels” provides a fascinating all-access pass to the secret world of the notorious Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club. Sonny Barger recounts the birth of the original Oakland Hell’s Angels and the four turbulent decades that followed. “Hell’s Angel” also chronicles the way the HAMC revolutionized the look of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle and built what has become a worldwide bike-riding fraternity, a beacon for freedom-seekers the world over. Dozens of photos, including many from private collections and from noted photographers, provide visual documentation to this extraordinary tale. Never simply a story about motorcycles, colorful characters, and high-speed thrills, “Hell’s Angel” is the ultimate outlaw’s tale of loyalty and betrayal, subcultures and brotherhood, and the real price of freedom.
As you’ll have already guessed, Momoa is obsessed with biker culture as explored in his HBO Max series “On The Roam.”Momoa also had linked up with Kurt Sutter of “Sons of Anarchy” and “Mayans M.C.” for the New Zealand-set biker series “Nomad,” which will also follow a real-life biker gang, just like what is expected with “Hell’s Angels.” Dramatic licenses and fictionalized events will likely be applied, so keep that in mind.
Other projects on the horizon for Momoa include “Supergirl” coming to theaters later this month (we’ll see if Lobo shows up elsewhere in the DCU, such as “Man of Tomorrow“), “A Minecraft Movie Squared,” is going to star in “The Pirate” for David Leitch at Amazon MGN Studios, and the busy actor had recently exited Sony/Justin Lin‘s feature film version of “Helldivers,” based on the sci-fi action video game.
Sadly, in the report, a studio partnership wasn’t mentioned for this “Hells Angels” movie; that information will likely make itself known in the future. We suspect this Hells Angels pic from Momoa and Swab could lean a lot heavier in the criminal side of things than a movie like Jeff Nichols‘ “The Bikerriders,” given the tone of Swab’s previous projects.
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
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