Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrien Brody are said to be circling key roles in Damien Chazelle’s upcoming Evel Knievel biopic.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DiCaprio is in talks to play the legendary daredevil, while Brody is eyeing the role of Shelly Saltman, Knievel’s former promoter who was brutally attacked by the stuntman in 1977.
DiCaprio has been in negotiations since late 2024, while Brody has reportedly met with Chazelle, though no formal offer has been made.
If DiCaprio signs on soon, filming could begin as early as this summer. The project would reunite him with screenwriter William Monahan, who penned The Departed.
Knievel, one of the most famous daredevils in history, became a household name in the 1970s thanks to his jaw-dropping motorcycle stunts.
His career was marked by legendary jumps — like the one over the fountains at Caesars Palace — and a high-profile controversy in 1977. That year, Knievel assaulted Saltman with a baseball bat over a book the promoter had written, which Knievel claimed was misleading.
The attack left Saltman with shattered bones and resulted in Knievel’s conviction, ultimately damaging his career.
Saltman later won a $12.75 million civil suit, but Knievel declared bankruptcy and never paid. Even after Knievel’s death in 2007, Saltman pursued the claim, but the debt remained unpaid until his own passing in 2019 at 87.
