Eddie Braun, stuntman, eyes Evel Knievel’s failed Snake River canyon jump: ‘He’s out of his mind’

A Hollywood stuntman will try to honor Evel Knievel’s memory by completing a jump that eluded him: Idaho’s Snake River canyon.

Eddie Braun has spent the last three years and $1.5 million planning to recreate Mr. Knievel’s September 8, 1974, attempted “rocket cycle” jump across all 2,000 feet of Snake River.

The iconic daredevil’s parachute opened too early on the steam-powered rocket over four decades ago, but Mr. Braun is convinced he can fulfill his hero’s goal — at 400 miles per hour.

“It’s not about doing something Evel Knievel couldn’t do. It’s about fulfilling his dream,” Mr. Braun said of Saturday’s scheduled jump. “How many people get to fulfill the dream of their hero?”

Mr. Knievel’s son, Kelly, told the network that he is not sold on the stuntman’s idea.

“I just think he’s out of his mind,” Kelly Knievel said. “I’m skeptical he’s going to make it over the canyon. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t blow up on the ramp. […] I wouldn’t get in a piece of tin and blast off over a cliff. If he makes it, he’ll be honoring my dad’s legacy. If he splats his brains out in the canyon it’ll be a different story.”

Mr. Braun, who served as the lead stuntman on the “Rush Hour” movies, told CNN that getting permission for the event also required him to jump through bureaucratic red tape.

“We even had to get permission from the FAA,” the 54-year-old daredevil said. “There are people who say I’m on a suicide mission, or that I’m going to blow up. But I’m not a foolish man. I’m not doing something stupid.”

Mr. Braun’s jump over Snake River is scheduled for Saturday, pending weather conditions.