- A-list director Ron Howard is making Rush, a film about the F1 rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt in the 1970s.
- A-list writer Peter Morgan has penned the script.
- Rising stars Daniel Bruhl and Chris Hemsworth will star.
- Filming starts in February, with a release planned for the end of 2012.
HOLLYWOOD, California — Ron Howard, who started out as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and has gone on to direct such Oscar-winning movies as Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, has talked to The Hollywood Reporter about his upcoming film Rush, which is set in the world of Formula 1 racing during the 1970s and '80s.
The film will chronicle the competition between legendary drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt, with Daniel Bruhl of Inglourious Basterds playing Lauda and Thor's Chris Hemsworth portraying Hunt. The script is by Peter Morgan, the Brit who also wrote 2006's brilliant The Queen and Howard's own underappreciated Frost/Nixon.
Howard doesn't claim to be a big F1 fan. But he likes Morgan's script because, he told the entertainment industry journal, "these are fascinating characters — ballsy, masculine guys. It was a very dangerous era in racing, and here are two absolute individuals at the height of their powers. It makes for great drama and very exciting action. I wasn't a die-hard Formula One fan before I read Peter's script, but I've been immersing myself in this world. I think the excitement I feel as a fresh convert may be infectious."
Howard says he's been visiting F1 tracks, attending F1 races, meeting with luminaries such as Lauda himself, and has watched the Senna documentary seven times in preparation for the film.
Filming for Rush, which is being independently financed outside the Hollywood studio system, starts in February. It should hit theaters sometime during the winter of 2012.
Inside Line says: Most car movies don't have anywhere near the potential for greatness that this one has.
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says:
12:19 AM, 11/03/2011
lilwankel,
You're right. I wrote this too quickly and confused Eat My Dust with Howard's Grand Theft Auto. My apologies.
lilwankel says:
11:52 PM, 11/02/2011
Ron Howard did not direct Eat My Dust, Charles B. Griffith did. It seems Insideline is always making errors like this. Ron Howard is a great director though, way better at directing than acting you know. I'm sure it will be a good movie, and it would be great to get more people interested in F1.
mau19 says:
05:22 PM, 11/02/2011
Sweet! Have been waiting for an F1 movie for years. I think Howard is more than appropriate to direct this film. Hopefully this film will educate and teach Americans about F1 and hopefully will get more people to appreciate the sport as well. I am not expecting to see many in the movie theater right there on that day as there is not a very big fan base locally, but you never know. I am already excited about next year already. :)