Set against the sexy, glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing in 1976 RUSH is based on the true story of a great sporting rivalry between English playboy James Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent Niki Lauda. The story follows their distinctly different personal styles on and off the track, their loves and the astonishing season in which both drivers were willing to risk everything to become world champion in a sport with no margin for error: if you make a mistake, you die.
There were two racers who dominated the racing scene in the 70′s. Hunt and Lauda. I always thought that in Tennis terms, Hunt and Lauda were the McInroe and Connors of the racing world. Despite sharing the same passion for racing, they were poles apart, which bred to bitter rivalry as racers. The epic 1976 world championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda is now part of racing legend… The 1970’s were a glamorous golden age for Formula 1 racing. Men wore Denim aftershave, smoked Marlboro cigarettes and didn’t much care for political correctness. Women were trophies, the summer of love had ended and men where expected to act dominant and manly. Source: The 2oth Century Man
In addition to celebrating the Lauda vs Hunt rivarly, Rush will also provide motor racing enthusiasts a rare opportunity to see Fomula 1 cars from the 1970′s now held in private collections, back out on the track. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing though with one of Lauda’s vintage Ferraris crashing during the filming of the movie. Check out a video snippet of the entire field of cars taken by an onlooker at Snetterton during the filming of RUSH in May!
As a young motor racing fan during the 1970′s I was a proud owner of a James Hunt’s #11 Marlboro McLaren car model, and am very much looking forward to being transported back to the 1970′s when RUSH is released in 2013. If you’re not familiar with the 1976 Formula 1 season, it’s time to start doing your homework!
Lauda vs Hunt: RUSH Sneak Peak Film Preview
Lauda vs Hunt: RUSH Sneak Peak Film Preview
‘RUSH’ BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Two-Time Academy Award® Winner Ron Howard Directs the Epic True Story of Legendary Formula 1 Racing Rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda
Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl Lead the All-Star Cast
London, 06 March 2012 —Two-time Academy Award® winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award® nominee, writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen), on RUSH, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, it was announced today. The film recently began principal photography and is co-financed and produced by Exclusive Media and Cross Creek Pictures, in association with Imagine Entertainment. Working Title Films, Brian Grazer and Revolution Films are also producing.
The epic action-thriller stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives. Also starring Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy) and Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader). RUSH is produced by Andrew Eaton (A Mighty Heart), Eric Fellner (Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Ron Howard, Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind), Peter Morgan and Brian Oliver (Black Swan) and executive produced by Exclusive Media, Cross Creek Pictures and Todd Hallowell. Universal Pictures will distribute the film in North America.
Set against the sexy, glamorous and spectacular golden age of Formula 1 racing, RUSH portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed — handsome English playboy James Hunt (Hemsworth) and his methodical, brilliant opponent Niki Lauda (Brühl). Following their personal lives on and off the track, RUSH follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.
RUSH will shoot on location in the UK, Germany and Austria.
“Lauda and Hunt were rock stars of the race track: two absolute pros at the top of their game, in a time when sex was safe, driving was dangerous and all bets were off,” said Ron Howard. “They were also complicated, fascinating men and born rivals. RUSH will be as much about that personal rivalry as it will be about the thrill of the race.”
Executive Producer Nigel Sinclair, Co-Chairman and CEO of Exclusive Media added: With a dream team of director Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan behind the wheel — and a cast that includes some of the hottest young actors working in movies today — RUSH promises to capture the true glamour, speed, sex appeal and risk of Formula 1 as it has never been seen before. It will be an adrenalin-fuelled exploration of human rivalry and emotion set against the backdrop of fashion and music in the ’70s.”
Producer Brian Oliver, President of Cross Creek Pictures, said: “Ron’s gift as a director is his ability to inhabit extraordinarily complex characters and grasp their essential humanity. With Chris and Daniel as our leads, I’m confident that the compelling story of Hunt and Lauda’s infamous rivalry will be told as never before.”
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