Peter Sarsgaard to Write and Direct BORN TO RUN

Actor looking to mix things up and make the move to directing.

Hitflix, via Bleeding Cool, reports that actor Peter Sarsgaard (‘Green Lantern,’ ‘An Education’) is to make his directorial debut with an adaptation of Christopher McDougall’s ‘Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.’

The book is McDougall’s autobiographical account of running barefoot with the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and a passion project for Sarsgaard, who will also pen the adaptation.

Amazon’s description of the book:

“Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence.

With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.”

Talking about the project Sarsgaard said:

“We’re going to try to make, you know, a kind of wild dirt magazine sort of version of ‘Born to Run’ that honors the true free spirit of what a lot of these people are like,” Sarsgaard says. “I was drawn to it because I wanted to play Caballo Blanco and then I got drawn into directing it and now I don’t feel comfortable [doing both].”

Jake Gyllenhaal (Sarsgaard’s brother in law) is involved in some capacity according to Chris McDougall. The author says:

“They’re keeping that one a bit under wraps for now, but [Jake’s] involved. I’m not sure in what sense. But I will tell you that this dude is in unbelievable shape. We went up this mountain pass and this guy just blazed on by.”

 

Sarsgaard is hoping to start filming in the winter on location Sierra Madre, Mexico