Renner Keen On McQueen

Current Hollywood it guy Jeremy Renner and pal business partner Don Handfield have formed the production company The Combine, with their first project in development a Steve McQueen biopic that will serve as a starring vehicle for the actor says Risky Biz Blog.

McQueen was the movie star who epitomised 'cool' in the 1960s and 1970s. His anti-hero persona was very popular with the public and allowed him to demand large salaries, but he was also known for being quite combative with filmmakers.

Memorable roles for McQueen came in films like "Bullitt," "The Magnificent Seven," "The Great Escape," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "The Getaway," "Papillon," and "The Towering Inferno".

James Gray ("We Own the Night") is attached to write the screenplay based on two books by Marshall Terrill Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend and Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel

Music video director Ivan Zacharias  is attached to make his directorial debut on the project.

In January 2009  producers Michael Cerenzie and Christine Forsyth-Peters acquired the rights to Portrait of an American Rebel for a movie adaptation. It isn't clear if this biopic superceedes Renner's pic

Where this biopic fits into Renner's schedule is also unclear...he recently finished Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, is currently shooting Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and The Avengers and is set to star in The Bourne Legacy and Better Living Through Chemistry

Renner, Handfield,  Greg Shapiro, Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver and Nick Landon are all set to produce the biopic