Callahan became an alcoholic at the age of 12, a drug abuser in his mid-teens, and at 21, a quadriplegic after being in a car accident after a day of drinking. He managed to rebuild his life to become an envelope-pushing cartoonist, learning to use both hands to draw, for example, and also reconciling with members of his family.

Jack Black is in negotiations to co-star with Joaquin Phoenix in Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” the biopic on quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan.

Iconoclast and Anonymous Content are producing the film, which is based on Callahan’s autobiography of the same name. The title is taken from one of Callahan’s cartoons, which often touched on taboo topics.

Callahan became paralyzed following a car accident at the age of 21. He turned to art as a form of therapy, drawing by clutching a pen between his two hands. He died in 2010 at the age of 59.

Jonah Hill and Rooney Mara are also in talks to join “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot.” Phoenix will portray Callahan.