Paul Giamatti is set to star in a new biopic film about about the late paranormal DJ Art Bell, and the film will be directed by Ready or Not and Scream directing team Radio Silence.
Amazon and Warner Bros. along with other studios have put bids in for a pitch that’s been making rounds in Hollywood.
DJ Art Bell was a pioneering radio broadcaster best known for his late-night paranormal talk show Coast to Coast AM. Bell’s fascination with the unknown led him to create a platform where he explored topics such as UFOs, government conspiracies, time travel, and supernatural phenomena.
Broadcasting from his home in Pahrump, Nevada, he developed a cult following with his deep, hypnotic voice and open-minded approach to discussing bizarre and unexplained mysteries.
Unlike traditional talk radio hosts, Bell rarely dismissed his callers’ outlandish claims, fostering an atmosphere where both skeptics and believers felt welcome.
His show became one of the most popular overnight programs in the country, attracting millions of dedicated listeners who tuned in for their nightly dose of the strange and unusual.
His five-hour show was on KNYE-FM, and in Coast to Coast‘s heyday in the 1990s, it would pull in around 10 million listeners. Bell also claimed that he and his wife spotted a “150-foot-long triangular craft” above their car one night before it disappeared.
Bell also co-wrote The Coming Global Superstorm with Whitney Striebler, which became the basis for the Roland Emmerich big disaster film, The Day After the Tomorrow. He wrote several books including his autobiography The Art of Talk, which is included in the rights to this package.
The film will be produced by Sophie Cassidy and Jeff Katz. Katz started his career in talk radio and began chasing rights to the Art Bell project with Cassidy while they worked on The Pope’s Exorcist.
He eventually worked with the city government of Pahrump, NV, Bell’s hometown, to build a relationship with and earn the support of Bell’s business partner Karen Jackson, as well as Bell’s family.
It’s explained that “Jackson started antagonistically and ended as best friends and business partners with Bell. She’ll be the catalyst of the film, making full use of Bell’s legendary role as ground zero for paranormal broadcasts, thriving discussions and reporting on weird, wonderful and unexplained phenomena.”
Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves are writing the script. Radio Silence is comprised of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and producers Justin Martinez and Chad Villella.
This is going to be a great film project and Giamatti is going to be perfect in the role of Bell!
Source: Deadline
