Steve McQueen is Getting a Biopic

A biopic is in the works for Steve “The King of Cool” McQueen, star of The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Bullitt, The Cincinnati Kid, The Getaway and The Towering Inferno. The Oscar nominee passed away in 1980 at the age of 50.

Producers Michael Cerenzie (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) and Christine Peters (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) have acquired the rights to Marshall Terrill’s biography Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel.

According to the trades, the film will primarily chronicle McQueen’s Hollywood career, which began in 1956 when the Indiana native got his break in the film Somebody Up There Likes Me.

The biography, which was published in paperback in October, also delves into McQueen’s off-screen desire for motorcycles, fast cars and drugs. The project will also examine his three marriages, including his stormy relationship with Ali McGraw, as well as his battle against lung cancer.

The producers have secured the cooperation of McQueen’s widow, Barbara Minty, and are close to attaching a director.