Following the Oscar-winning 2008 documentary Man on Wire, French daredevil Philippe Petit is coming to the big screen once more, this time in a thriller from writer-director Robert Zemeckis. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Petit, whose dangerous (and illegal) walk across the gap between the Twin Towers in 1974—which required a carefully synchronized team of collaborators with disguises and fake IDs—always had elements of a Hollywood heist movie.
What should set the movie apart from the documentary are the visuals. Though the documentary made strong use of re-enactments, Zemeckis will be working with a much larger budget, and the director hopes to create a more immersive experience by bringing the movie to theaters in IMAX 3-D. Aside from that, there’s the simpler pleasure of finding out what JGL looks like with red hair and bright blue eyes. Those wondering if that accent ever stops sounding weird can find out on Oct. 2.
