According to Deadline, John Travolta has signed in to portray speedboat racing champion Don Aronow in Speed Kills, a new drama from director John Luessenhop (Texas Chainsaw 3D, Takers) and screenwriter David Aaron Cohen (Friday Night Lights).
The film will see Travolta as Aronow, “a womanizing multimillionaire who created the Cigarette and other speedboats and sold them to presidents, the Shah of Iran, Malcolm Forbes and pop stars. At his height, he did business with the U.S. government and drug cartels at the same time — a double life that led to his mysterious murder in 1987 while he sat in his car in Miami.”
“Once I starting learning about Don Aronow’s life, I jumped at the opportunity to bring this story to the big screen,” said director Luessenhop. “John Travolta is the perfect actor to bring Aronow’s story to life.”
“I like biopic films,” added Travolta. “They are fascinating to me, and real-life characters are always interesting to play. … This is a great story.”
Speed Kills is set to begin production in May, shooting in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami Beach.
Originally published April 5, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
