Movie Based on Press Your Luck & Michael Larson Enters Post Production
Paul Walter Hauser of I, Tonya plays the ice cream truck driver-turned-game show legend.
The Hollywood Reporter has announced today that they’re entering post-production in a drama-thriller movie based on the legendary story of Michael Larson, the man who memorized the light patterns on Press Your Luck and won $110,237, and his ensuing downfall in search of more money.
The preview image shows Paul Walter Houser as Michael Larson (with a properly-designed name tag; right font, good job) and a whammy (why is there so much space at the top??). The set looks relatively faithful, which is a good sign. We love it when game show movies get sets right!
According to THR, the cast includes Paul Walter Hauser as the aforementioned (I, Tonya), Walton Goggins (Amazon’s Fallout), Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Johnny Knoxville (from that weird episode of Celebrity Family Feud), and Patti Harrison (Broad City, Search Party).
This is about the furthest a theatrical retelling of the story has made through the process; in the early 2000s, the story was, according to ABC News, in the hands of Bill Murray, who was set to star as Michael Larson, and produced by Nicolas Cage of all people.
This movie is going to be really weird, mostly because the director of the film, Samir Oliveros, in two quotes, has showcased that he’s fucking nuts:
I kept having this recurring dream with a white-bearded man. I couldn’t make any sense of it until I stumbled upon his face on a VHS tape I found at a thrift shop. That’s how I learned of Michael’s story. During our next encounter he said if we made the film in time for the 40th anniversary of his feat, he would guide us in the right direction. I’m glad we could make it happen with the support of such incredible partners.
— a man responsible for making a movie
OK, so in a dream, he talked to Michael Larson, and then stumbled upon a VHS tape in a thrift store with the episodes on it and then talked to him AGAIN and claims that Michael Larson’s Ghost will guide him in telling the story.
I’m so fucking sick of Hollywood sometimes. The film has no release date, but unless it releases between now and September, he’s missing the 40th anniversary. Anyway, can’t wait!
