2014 was a great year for Miles Teller if you opt to ignore the existence of That Awkward Moment, which most people did. His leading turn in Whiplash served as a real coming-out party for the young actor, who has since used the momentum to ink roles as a superhero and Jonah Hill’s bro. Now Teller is kicking it into an even higher gear by signing on to play a speedy bank robber in a film version of The Atavist’s long form essay, Life And Times Of The Stopwatch Gang. The article, written by Josh Dean, chronicles the true story of a group of meticulous Canadian thieves who stole millions from as many as 100 banks in the ’80s without ever firing a gun.
After an intense bidding war, Universal Pictures is in the final stages to acquire rights to the piece, with Ruben Fleischer on board as director and Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark producing under Stuber’s Bluegrass Films banner. It’s unclear exactly which role Teller will fill (the Stopwatch Gang had three members) but he recently underwent a Chris Pratt-esque body transformation, so he’ll probably be the most ripped one.