Milo Ventimiglia Set to Star as Evel Knievel in USA Network Series

Milo Ventimiglia has set his sights on a new TV role.

The This Is Us lead will lead the cast of EVEL, which is based on the story of larger-than-life 70's daredevil Evel Knievel as he prepares for his greatest death-defying feat, the historic Snake River Canyon jump.

EVEL is an exhilarating portrait of a complex man living the American dream, juggling meteoric celebrity and raising a family -- and facing the very real probability that his next jump will kill him.

UCP, Etan Frankel (Sorry For Your Loss, Shameless, Animal Kingdom) will write and executive produce the series.

Serving as executive producers are McG, Mary Viola, and Steven Bello of Wonderland Sound & Vision; Alex Gartner, Charles Roven and Topher Rhys-Lawrence of Atlas Entertainment; and Ventimiglia.

Russ Cundiff will co-executive produce on behalf of DiVide Pictures. Production is expected to begin in 2020.

"USA Network is known for big event series that celebrate heroes, rebels and icons, and what could be bigger than the story of one of the greatest thrill seekers of all time?," said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks - USA Network and SYFY.

"The incredible life and journey of Evel Knievel lends itself to a dramatic retelling, and we are excited to be partnering with Milo, McG, UCP, Atlas and Wonderland to bring this iconic American tale to our viewers."

Ventimiglia has been a series regular on NBC's This Is Us since 2016 as Jack Pearson -- a role that has garnered the actor three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Back in 2016, he returned to Gilmore Girls for the four-part Netflix revival.

It has yet to be confirmed what this casting news means for his Ventimiglia's time on This Is Us.

It's hard to imagine the actor departing, but given that his character is not alive in the present and future storylines, it's likely that he will be able to pull double duty.

Additionally, EVEL is being billed as a limited series.