Gus Van Sant Eyeing Film About Portland Cartoonist John Callahan, Variety Says

Joaquin Phoenix is also rumored to be attached to the project, which has been long in the works

According to a post in Variety, Gus Van Sant and Joaquin Phoenix are both considering working together on a new film, "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot," about famed Portland cartoonist John Callahan.

Callahan, who for years penned a weekly cartoon for Willamette Week, was paralyzed after a car accident at the age of 21 while riding with a drunk-driving friend. His somewhat racy, un-PC sense of humor led to the occasional boycott, but the Washington Post also called him "among the most brilliant and original cartoonists who ever lived."

Callahan died in 2010 after a lengthy hospital stay. For the past 10 years, locals in Portland have been raising money to create a memorial for Callahan on the corner of Northwest 21st Avenue and Lovejoy Street. The hope is to break ground sometime in 2017.

After his 1989 memoir of the same name, numerous Hollywood names have been attached to a possible Callahan movie—most famously Robin Williams, who was reportedly set to play Callahan in the movie back in 1998.

The planned director at the time? Gus Van Sant.

This time, however, the movie seems to be much farther along in development, with Iconoclast and Anonymous Content signed on to produce, according to the Variety article.

Here's the piece with the details.

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