Josh Duhamel will star as the notorious Canadian bank robber Robert Whiteman in heist thriller Bandit.

Allan Ungar will direct from a script by Kraig Wenman based on Robert Knuckle’s novel and journalist Ed Arnold’s interviews with Gilbert Galvan Jr, who lived under the name Robert Whiteman when he was dubbed the Flying Bandit in 1987.

Bandit centres on a charming Canadian career criminal who escapes from prison and embarks on a life as a bank robber, pursued by a brilliant detective.

He was known for his disguises and earned notoriety for using frequent flyer miles and flying first class around the country, pulling off sometimes as many as three heists in a day before flying home for dinner

Eric Gozlan will produce via his Goldrush Entertainment. Duhamel will be an executive producer alongside Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, as well as Kraig Wenman, and Ungar.