Josh Duhamel to Star in Heist Thriller ‘Bandit’
October 31, 2020
Josh Duhamel has signed on to star in Bandit, a heist thriller that will be directed by Allan Ungar.
Eric Gozlan will produce under his Goldrush Entertainment banner. Duhamel will be executive producing alongside Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier of Highland Film Group as are Kraig Wenman and Ungar.
Wenman wrote the script which centers on the true-life exploits of Gilbert Galvan Jr., an American who escaped from prison and crossed into Canada, becoming a criminal dubbed the Flying Bandit. Galvan was known for his disguises and planning of more than 63 bank and jewelry heists, but it was brazen productivity that gained him notoriety. A collector of the frequent flyer program, Galvan would fly himself first class to different cities across the country, sometimes robbing 3 banks in the same day before flying home for dinner. Galvan still holds a record for the most consecutive robberies in Canadian history.
The script tells of Galvan falling in love with a woman that he can’t provide for and turning to robbing banks, discovering that he’s exceptionally good at it. But as he gets addicted to the rush and the jobs become more dangerous, his notoriety is growing in record time. This brings attention to a brilliant cop who becomes determined to take down Canada’s most wanted bank robber at all costs, starting the manhunt with the help of a special police task force. What ensues is a cat-and-mouse game as the two men attempt to outsmart one another in a cross-country pursuit.
The script is based on author Robert Knuckle’s best-selling novel, The Flying Bandit, and interviews by journalist Ed Arnold with Galvan Jr.
Ungar called the project an “action-packed and amazing untold account of one of the most daring and charismatic criminals in modern history” while Fraser, whose company was behind Bella Thorne’s Infamous, said “Bandit is both appealing to those who crave classic heist thriller stories but also to those who did not know yet that they could love the genre. It is a class act.”
Ungar directed and co-wrote the action flick Gridlocked that starred Dominic Purcell and Stephen Lang. He was also behind the Uncharted fan film that starred Nathan Fillion and went viral after it launched at Comic-Con last year. He is repped by Verve and Zero Gravity Management.
Duhamel was last seen in The Lost Husband, the surprise Netflix hit from summer. He will next be seen starring in his directorial debut The Buddy Games which is set to be released on Nov 24. Duhamel is repped by by ICM Partners and John Carrabino management.
By Borys Kit