In the works for nearly a decade, the wild true story of the creation of famous nightclub Chippendales has found its director, while Dev Patel remains attached to star. Deadline reports I, Tonya and Fright Night‘s Craig Gillespie will direct Chippendales, which is suddenly one of the hottest projects in the works with multiple studios vying for the rights.
Gillespie takes over a film that tells the crazy story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee. Banerjee (Patel) was a gas station attendant from India who bought a rundown old nightclub and, with the help of Paul Snider, turned it into the famous night club, Chippendales. Also key to the club’s success was Nick DeNoia, a choreographer who helped come up with the idea for the strip joint and expand it to a global level until Banerjee tried to have everybody killed.
The quest for the American Dream went sideways for pretty much everybody involved in starting Chippendales. Snider would go on to commit murder/suicide, killing his Playboy bunny girlfriend Dorothy Stratten (as seen in the movie Star 80). Banerjee was indicted on multiple charges, eventually pleading out on a murder charge and sentenced to 26 years in prison. He would commit suicide in 1994.
Ben Stiller had been eyeing the role of Emmy-winning producer Nick De Noia, Banerjee’s business partner who helped come up with the club’s world famous stripper routines. That role is up for grabs now and is probably next to be filled.
While I’m sure some will be disappointed Patel is in a male dancer film and is unlikely to strip down at any point, there should be plenty to look at elsewhere. Patel’s next film should be David Lowery’s long-delayed Green Knight. He recently starred in The Personal History of David Copperfield, which is really charming and worth your time.
Gillespie just wrapped on Disney’s live-action Cruella, which was originally to open this December but has been moved to 2021.
