David Prowse’s connection to the Star Wars universe is impressive. Most impressive. As the man that physically embodied Darth Vader inside of that iconic black getup, Prowse was a part of a team including James Earl Jones, Sebastian Shaw, and Bob Anderson that brought one of cinema’s most famous villains to life in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Yet, Prowse’s “eccentric” behavior led to him being banned by George Lucas himself from attending official Star Wars conventions. Despite the controversy, Prowse will find himself as the subject of the upcoming biopic, Strongman.
Strongman was written by Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb (The Well) and earned a spot on this year’s Black List, a Hollywood-curated list that chronicles the best unproduced screenplays of the year.
Chronicling his journey from champion weightlifter to the biggest bad ass in the universe, Strongman will follow Prowse through his tenure as Green Cross Code man, and his career as an actor, where he appeared in films such as 1967’s Casino Royale, A Clockwork Orange, The Horror Of Frankenstein, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, and others.
Another interesting Prowse detail is that he helped train Christopher Reeve for the role of Superman, so Prowse has had a hand in two properties that geeks everywhere hold near and dear to their hearts. We’ll learn even more about Prowse when Strongman is eventually released.