A group of L.A. producers have announced plans to turn Canadian icon Terry Fox’s inspirational story into a $10 million Hollywood movie, and they’ve set their sights on some A-list talent.
Kelly Slattery of Therapy Content said her dream crew would include acclaimed English director Danny Boyle at the helm, and rising star Anton Yelchin portraying Fox.
Yelchin’s most notable role to date has been Pavel Chekov in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, while Boyle’s credits include 127 Hours, Trainspotting, and Slumdog Millionaire, the film that scored him the Academy Award for Best Director in 2008.
Slattery said she’s surprised at how many Americans haven’t heard Fox’s story, and she’s excited to give it the Hollywood treatment.
“I think we should share this story. It’s really inspiring, and I think it can show the world what a real hero is,” Slattery said.
Fox’s life has been dramatized twice before, but only in made-for-TV movies; first in The Terry Fox Story, a 1983 biopic produced by HBO, then again in 2005 for the CTV film Terry.
Therapy Content said they hope to earn a profit of $100 million on the new film, and that, following in Fox's legacy, all proceeds will go to cancer research.
“I’d actually like to have this be a whole line of films that are for non-profit,” Slattery said. “I think it’s a powerful medium, we need to use it for good.”
A Kickstarter campaign is being launched to help fund the project on April 12, the anniversary of the start of Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Norma Reid
