Chris Pratt will star in a bootlegging drama based on the man who inspired the phrase “The Real McCoy,” in a film of the same name, TheWrap has learned.
The film, written by Bill Dubuque, is in development at Universal, and centers around William “Bill” McCoy, a sea captain who smuggled rum from the Bahamas to the U.S. during Prohibition.
While McCoy never drank liquor himself, he prided himself on never paying money for protection from law enforcement or the mob and delivering merchandise that was uncut, thus earning the nickname “the real McCoy.”
Tom McNulty is producing alongside Michael De Luca, who recently left his post at Sony for a producing deal at Universal.
Pratt is also starring in “Jurassic World” for the studio, and is attached to action comedy “Cowboy Ninja Viking.” He next films MGM’s “Magnificent Seven” remake with Denzel Washington for director Antoine Fuqua.
He is represented by UTA and Mosaic.