SEPTEMBER 8, 1997

Formula 1 - the movie

AS we suggested in June, Sylvester Stallone is planning to make a blockbuster film about Grand Prix racing. Stallone was in Monza last weekend to sign the deal with Bernie Ecclestone, the man who controls the commercial rights to the sport. Stallone has been talking to Ecclestone for three years and is planning to produce the film. Stallone refused to give many details about the planned movie but he is hoping it will be finished within 18 months. This will mean that it would hit the cinemas as the start of 1999 which would neatly coincide with Bernie Ecclestone's plans to relaunch Grand Prix racing in the United States of America, with a race in Atlanta and possibly a second event in Las Vegas.

"This is the most exciting sport in the world," Stallone said, "and hopefully we can do a film to show the sport in all grandeur. The challenge will be to use technology which has never been seen before to show what it is like to be in one of these extraordinary machines. It is a gigantic undertaking but hopefully it will all come together because it has a tremendous appeal around the world."

Stallone said that the production would be based mainly in Europe but that there would be an international cast. The intention is for the production to include actual racing footage and staged footage.

"It has to be an interesting movie all the way through," he said, "and the main thing is to be sincere to the characters and the storyline. That takes delicate writing which will cover all the different aspects and emotions of this sport."

He added that the production would probably use some of the current F1 drivers.

"Many of them have star quality," Stallone said, "So why not?"