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David Permut is getting into gear for a biopic of maverick auto exec John Z. DeLorean, with Steve Lee Jones also producing through his Bee Holder Prods.

Jones has secured life rights from the late DeLorean's longtime attorney, Mayer Morganroth.

The film will chronicle DeLorean's rise and fall, starting with his work as a young exec VP at General Motors, where he developed the Pontiac GTO and Firebird, and the creation of his own company and the DeLorean DMC-12 car -- later featured in the "Back to the Future" films. DeLorean's downfall came when was arrested in 1982 on charges of drug trafficking to help his faltering auto company. He was freed two years later after a court ruled he was a victim of government entrapment.

Permut Presentations VP Steve Longi will co-produce.

Permut is in post-production on "Youth in Revolt" for Dimension. He also produced documentary "The Boys," which Disney is releasing this year.

Jones is in post-production with Foundation Films on director Matthew Galkin's doc "Kevorkian," about Dr. Jack Kevorkian's bid for a congressional seat.