SANTA CRUZ - The late Santa Cruz surfer Jay Moriarity may soon be the subject of a Hollywood film. The Hollywood trade journal Production Weekly has reported that filmmaker Curtis Hanson ("LA Confidential," "8 Mile") has signed on to direct a biopic on Moriarity's life. The journal also reported that Sean Penn is considering playing the supporting role of Moriarity's neighbor and surfing mentor, Frosty Hesson, himself an iconic figure in the Pleasure Point/Santa Cruz surfing community.
Moriarity was killed in the summer of 2001, a day before his 23rd birthday in a free-diving accident in the Maldives. Until his death, he was considered one of the most talented and courageous surfers in Northern California, and one of the world's emerging stars in big-wave surfing.
