Given that he’s probably the main draw (the human one, at least) for its massive summer hope Jurassic World, it’s perhaps not that surprising that Universal would want to stay in the Chris Pratt business{
Bill Dubuque, who wrote The Judge, worked on the idea based on a suggestion from producer Tom McNulty, with the pair teaming up to sell Pratt on the concept. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s a story about real-life bootlegger Bill McCoy, who became the inspiration for the phrase “the real McCoy” referring to his unsullied liquor. McCoy himself was ironically a non-drinker who prided himself on never having to pay protection money to anyone, criminal or otherwise, as he smuggled alcohol during Prohibition in the United States. A character based on the man cropped up in Boardwalk Empire.
Universal was so eager to grab the pitch that it outbid Warner Bros., slapping $1.5 million on the table. The move ended a planned round of pitch meetings a little early, and other studios were left waiting by the phone like heartbroken ‘50s teenagers.
Pratt will next be seen in the aforementioned Jurassic World, which stomps into our cinemas on June 12. He’s about to work on Antoine Fuqua’s new **The Magnificent Seven **and is attached to **Cowboy Ninja Viking **and, of course, Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, which arrives here on April 28, 2017.