Ron Howard’s RUSH Begins Principal Photography; Formula 1 Racing Thriller Stars Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde

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 Cross Creek Pictures and Exclusive Media, in association with Imagine Entertainment. Brian Grazer, Working Title Films and Revolution Films are also producing.

The epic action-thriller stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (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), Ron Howard, Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind), Eric Fellner (Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Peter Morgan and Brian Oliver (Black Swan) and executive produced by Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media 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 (Bruhl). 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.”

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.”

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.”