Kelly Knievel spoke with Matthew Sardo about the documentary I AM EVEL KNIEVEL and what his father’s legacy looks like today.
Knievel discusses the chances of another American Icon rising up in today’s 24/7 media circus, and he updates the prospects of a feature film about his father. At the end of the interview Knievel gives us a special moment when he explains how he would like the public to remember his father.
I AM EVEL KNIEVEL
A Star Studded Cast Pays Tribute to the World’s Original Daredevil and Fearless Entertainer in a Feature Documentary Coming this June to Digital Platforms, Blu-Ray, and DVD From Virgil Films
“All my life people have been waiting around to watch me die.” – Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel is a name you can’t forget. And the new film I AM EVEL KNIEVEL, coming to Digital platforms, Blu-Ray and DVD on June 30, 2015, from Virgil Films, reveals the story behind the man you can’t forget.
Evel Knievel’s rise to superstardom was built on nerves of steel and the ability to get up and do it again no matter the severity of the fall. He lived life like every day was his last, which led to a tumultuous life filled with stunts no man would ever dream of, encompassing meteoric success, wild hubris, egomaniacal mistakes, and ultimately redemption. Sporting flashy leather jumpsuits and a determined grin in the face of death, Knievel became a national hero whose outrageous feats were broadcast on live TV. “My father was truly an awe inspiring character and an original in every sense of the word, and his legacy has grown even more amazing over the years”, states Kelly Knievel, “There was a reason my dad so captured the imagination of the world. This film captures the man’s character, determination, successes and failures.”
I AM EVEL KNIEVEL is the untold story of this legendary figure who gave birth to the culture and the meaning of the word “extreme”. The film also showcases Knievel’s rise from a small town rebel in Butte, Montana, to a cultural icon. The enduring legacy of Evel Knievel is his unforgettable death-defying jumps. The film – from producer-director Derik Murray (I Am Chris Farley, I Am Steve McQueen, I Am Bruce Lee), and writer-executive producer Paul Gertz (I Am Chris Farley, Johnny Cash: American Rebel) – features footage of Knievel’s greatest jumps, including his first major attempt, over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Snake River Canyon jump in Idaho and London’s Wembley Stadium jump.
A cast featuring those who knew him best and were inspired to achieve greatness of their own, including Matthew McConaughey, Kid Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Guy Fieri, Robbie Maddison, daredevils Spanky Spangler and Mike Vallely, Willie G. Davidson of Harley-Davidson, funnyman Bob Einstein (known as Super Dave Osborne), Chris and J.C. Agajanian, and family members including sons Kelly and Robbie, and former wives Linda Knievel and Krystal Kennedy-Knievel.
“Evel Knievel didn’t have a death wish.
He had a life wish, man.”-Matthew McConaughey pic.twitter.com/pGGtSLbSFK
— X Games (@XGames) June 30, 2015
