French stuntman Philippe Petit goes legit in Manhattan

Buoyed by the success of Man on Wire, the documentary about his unannounced tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in 1974, French stuntman Philippe Petit is planning another daredevil act in New York.
 
Still only a sprightly 59, and still honing his balance on a practice wire for three hours every day, Petit has announced that, somewhere in Manhattan, at some stage this autumn, he is planning a repeat performance between two high-rise buildings.
 
In the past, as well as his World Trade Centre stunt, he has also walked a wire between the Palais de Chaillot and the Eiffel Tower, and over the Louisiana Superdome.
 
This time, with the new-found legitimacy that Man on Wire has given him, there will be no need for the meticulous secrecy and planning that characterised his famous feat in 1974. And nor will he be arrested straight after completing the stunt, as he was then. Instead, the Manhattan walk will be one of a series, with the full blessing of the authorities, to raise awareness for initiatives to combat illiteracy.
 
Petit has been busy since Man on Wire came out. Currently, he's putting the finishing touches to a book about the barn at his home in Woodstock, NY, that he's been building for the last 13 years. He also lives, and practices his trade, in the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine in New York, where he's been the artist in residence since 1982.
 
As he told the New York Times, he's the only person who's able to climb a wobbly ladder and change the light bulbs on the chandeliers. ·