Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey has signed on to star as a long-distance runner in the adaptation of Christopher McDougalls’s best-selling novel, Born To Run. After sitting pretty on the New York Times Bestseller list for 187 weeks, the book went on to spark a global barefoot running sensation and has gone on to sell 3 million copies worldwide. So, it’s no wonder that the true story caught the attention of Hollywood and McConaughey, who has become a go-to leading man for several high-profile titles in recent years.
Per Deadline, the film tells the story of an award-winning journalist and frequently-injured runner who learns to hone his ability to run for hundreds of miles without resting or acquiring any injuries. His lengthy jog finds him headed for Mexico’s isolated, deadly Copper Canyons to find out how the blissful Tarahumara Indians managed to perfect this ability.
Joining their group, he discovers their secrets and journeys from Harvard science labs to sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America. His experiences lead to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pitted America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe.
Without a director attached, it’s hard to imagine how this thematically ambitious movie might turn out, but we should expect another solid turn from McConaughey. In the last five years his career has practically done a 180. Switching out romcom duds like Fool’s Gold and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days for meatier, cerebral fare like Mud and True Detective, he’s emerged as a re-stylized actor. It will be intriguing to see how he approaches the journalist-runner role in Born To Run.
Aside from its leading man, the only other name involved is that of World War Z writer Matthew Michael Carnahan, who penned the script. Currently in its early development stages, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Outlaw Productions and LD Entertainment will collaborate to shepherd the film to the big screen.
