Sundance 2011: HBO Working On Remake Deal For KNUCKLE

HBO is currently in negotiations to remake the documentary Knuckle directed by Ian Palmer which is at Sundance this year. The doc is about two Irish families that settle a longstanding dispute by periodically engaging in bare knuckle bouts.  Content International bought international rights at the start of the festival  so that leaves domestic rights up for grabs.

Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green are attached  with their Rough House Pictures (Eastbound & Down) banner. Deadline is reporting that HBO is planning to turn the concept into a TV series. The rights have been coveted by reps of Gerard Butler, Robert Downey Jr., and Vin Diesel, but Rough House's Matt Reilly won the negotiations.  

The film debuted at Sundance last Friday and since then there has been plenty of interest. Knuckle was produced by Rise Films' Teddy Leifer. The film was filmed over the course of 12 years and focuses on two brothers, James Quinn and Michael McDonagh. The fighters beat the crap out of each other for pride and bragging rights. The fights are rumored to have spawned from a dispute over a woman, but it's not fully clear why the families hate each other. In a move reminiscent of a WWE bout, fights are preceded by taunt-filled videos sent by one family to the other. 

Sounds interesting, I wonder if Rough House is interested in producing for McBride to star? The project is definitely different and I'd like to see the documentary. 

What are your thoughts of this news?