Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black goes from Harvey Milk screenplay to one about the “Barefoot Bandit”

My pal Ted Johnson has this scoop in Daily Variety: Dustin Lance Black has been set to pen the screenplay for 20th Century Fox’s film about infamous 18-year-old outlaw Colton Harris-Moore, a.k.a. the Barefoot Bandit.

The bandit was arrested on July 11 after evading capture for years during which he committed scores of crimes, mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, including allegedly stealing at least five small aircraft, a boat and two cars, as well as burglarizing at least 100 private residences.

“It’s clear that there’s a reason the country has become so enamored with this story, and that is worthy of investigation,” Black told Variety. “Like any great outlaw story, it speaks to the social and political mood of a generation.”

David Gordon Green is in final talks to direct the film based on a book proposal, “Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw,” by Bob Friel who profiled Harris-Moore in the January edition of adventure magazine Outside.

Since winning the original screenplay Academy Award for Milk last year, Black wrote and directed the upcoming film What’s Wrong with Virginia? and recently wrote the screenplay for 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man.