Milo Ventimiglia to play star stuntman Evel Knievel in new series

"This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia will be portraying legendary American daredevil

Evel Knievel

in a new limited series.

The story, written by

Etan Frankel

, chronicles Knievel as he prepares for his greatest death-defying feat -- the legendary Snake River Canyon jump in 1974.

The series has been described as a portrait of a complex man living the American dream, juggling meteoric celebrity and raising a family and the very real probability that his next jump will kill him.

Ventimiglia and Frankel will also executive produce alongside Mary Viola,

Steven Bello

,

Alex Gartner

, Charles Roven and Topher Rhys-Lawrence.

The yet-untitled project is set to begin production in 2020.