Despite being one of Hollywood’s best known producers, Spielberg cohort Frank Marshall is rarely tempted to pick up the megaphone. His fifth assignment as a helmer is looking to be his most intriguing – and no, it’s not Congo 2.
“I’m planning on directing the Lance Armstrong story,” Marshall says. Seven times Tour De France winner Armstrong stated last year that Matt Damon had shown an interest in portraying him in a biopic – Damon begins his third collaboration with Marshall on 1 August for The Bourne Ultimatum.
Lance Armstrong’s best selling autobiography, Every Second Counts, spills the goods on his battle against cancer which left him with a less than 50% chance of survival. It was after his recovery that the tenacious Texan got back on the bike and rode his way into the history books.
If Marshall were to take on the project, it would have some competition for his attention - as well as second unit directing commitments on Indiana Jones 4, Frank is considering adapting a book called The Perfect Mile and then shooting another flick about musician Django Reinhardt.
"Perfect Mile is the story of John Landy, Roger Bannister and Wes Santee trying to break the 4-minute mile," he says. “Reinhardt is the father of the modern jazz guitar – a French gypsy. I bought the story idea while making The Bourne Identity. I met the publisher and got real excited. So there I am. That’s going to take us until 2010!”
