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20th Century Fox Pays $1.3 Million for Barefoot Bandit's Movie Deal
by Alex Billington
August 11, 2011
Source: THR
But the 20-year-old "Barefoot Bandit" won't make a penny of it. THR reports that 20th Century Fox has paid nearly $1.3 million for the life story rights ("movie and ancillary rights") of Colton Harris-Moore, the infamous Barefoot Bandit who was the talk of the internet early last year when TIME profiled his illegal escapades, stealing cars, boats and even planes (which he later crashed). Colton was eventually captured by the FBI and will be using the money from this deal to pay back the "victims" of those he stole from. "I have absolutely zero interest in profiting from any of this and I won't make a dime off it. It all goes to restitution."
This news seems a bit odd, because we also reported last year that Rough House Pictures had acquired a project called Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw, that was about the Barefoot Bandit as well. Though I'm sure if you pay enough, the life rights supersede any script about the story, especially when this is the real story (unless it gets Hollywood-ized). "Nobody knows the nitty-gritty of Colton's story," his defense attorney John Henry Browne claims, but the biggest news from all of this is that Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (of Milk, J. Edgar) will be writing the script with Harris-Moore. Damn.
For anyone that thinks this is just Hollywood pushing him into it, don't worry. "I am humbled to know I can now help the people I hurt, at least for the financial damage I caused them," Harris-Moore wrote. "I have absolutely zero interest in profiting from any of this and I won't make a dime off it… That's what I insisted on from the beginning and the contract I signed guarantees it." The Barefoot Bandit was caught in February 2007 and sentenced to three years in juvenile detention for stealing numerous things, including a plane that he even taught himself how to fly. "I can't undo what I did. I can only try to make things better," Colton said in a statement. I'd love to see some kind of Catch Me If You Can-like adventure movie based off of this.
7 Comments
1
ya but all the producers,screenwriter,director,actor will profit... i just hope the writer dose not make him gay.
happy camper on Aug 11, 2011
2
well it's "gay" in the scen that you use the word. To steal from other ppl. so....
Panda on Aug 11, 2011
3
why would you pay 1.3 million for this? Am I missing something
Coasterboy12345 on Aug 11, 2011
4
Hey, Alex. I'm curious why you put the word victims in quotes in that first paragraph. Are you implying that you don't think that these people were victimized?
Groov on Aug 11, 2011
5
I think this will be an excellent movie. If you watch this hour long investigative report you will see why: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7370550n&tag=contentMain;contentBody
wakisersoul on Aug 12, 2011
6
Um, WTF?? "....stealing numerous things, including a plane that he even taught himself how to fly". Wow... So he was 15-16 and taught himself how to fly a plane......but not land it, as he crashed all 3. I can't help but smile, he often broke into homes just to take a bath or eat some icecream and it seems he only stole to survive in the woods, transport was stolen to get from A-B, not to re-sell. It does sound like a fun 'catch me if you can-esque' flick, bound to have a comment from a FBI agent like: "How hard can it be to find a 6' 5" barefoot kid??" It really sounds like a story of a hermit-in-the-making. Once he is out(is he out now from juvenile detention?), he'll go back to the woods, don't you think?
David Banner on Aug 12, 2011
7
Ha HA! You are so right!
wakisersoul on Aug 13, 2011
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