The Dos Equis pitchman just relinquished his title as "The World's Most Interesting Man."

Long-time ExLg fans might remember our post on the exploits of real-life action hero, Max Hardberger. (Even his name's out of central casting!) Here's a recap:

NEW ORLEANS — If repossessing a used Chevrolet can be tricky, consider retrieving the Aztec Express, a 700-foot cargo ship under guard in Haiti as civil unrest spread through the country.

Only a few repo men possess the guile and resourcefulness for such a job. One of them is F. Max Hardberger, of Lacombe, La. Since 1991, the 58-year-old attorney and ship captain has surreptitiously sailed away about a dozen freighters from ports around the world.

"I'm sure there are those who would like to add me to a list of modern pirates of the Caribbean, but I do whatever I can to protect the legal rights of my clients," said Hardberger, whose company, Vessel Extractions in New Orleans, has negotiated the releases of another dozen cargo ships and prevented the seizures of many others.

...an oceangoing tugboat also hired by Hardberger slipped into port and backed up to the Aztec Express. Under a full moon, the crew began cutting the anchor chains with blowtorches.

In case harbor officials noticed and tried to call for help on their cellphone, Hardberger had paid a witch doctor $100 to cast spells on the port's soccer field [the only place with phone access]. The witch doctor marked the field with gray powder, a clear warning to believers in voodoo, the nation's dominant religion. No call ever went out.

Once the freighter was freed, the tug hauled the ship out of port and headed for the Bahamas, where British-based maritime laws give a high priority to lenders' claims.

At the time, I called Max's adventures "the greatest Bruce Willis movie never made." Thankfully, the legend himself is putting his story into print.

SEIZED: Battling Pirates and Recovering Stolen Ships in the World’s Most Troubled Waters is set for an April 2010 release date, but you can pre-order the book at his Web site. Max also launched a Facebook fan page, of which I am a proud member.

Forget The Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers and that crazy balloon guy — get Max a reality show.