Ridley Scott To Make Le Mans Drama Series

[Bodhii]

Ridley And Tony Scott To Produce Le Mans Period Drama

The current fascination with 1960s period dramas in the U.S. is spreading internationally. Ridley and Tony Scott have come aboard to produce The Drivers, a series based on the high-octane 24-hour motor race in Le Mans during the 1950s-1960s. The Scott's Scott Free will co-produce with Headline Pictures and Sennet Entertainment the project, funded by FremantleMedia as part of their strategy of developing and package drama series for the international market. The series is based on the book, Shelby: The Man, The Cars, the Legend, written by Wallace A. Wyss and optioned from Iconografix, which tells the true story of wild young drivers from the US, Germany, France, Italy and Britain, friends and rivals, amateurs risking everything for a shot on the tracks. “I grew up in the North of England at a time when Stirling Moss was a hero," Ridley Scott said. "Everyone wanted to be a racing driver. This is a hugely ambitious project and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tell the story of these iconic and legendary men who risked everything to win at Le Mans. It’s an epic story of courage and ambition and a history of racing which has never been told on such a grand scale.” In the U.S., where AMC's 1960s drama Mad Men has been piling up accolades,

Ridley And Tony Scott To Produce Le Mans Period Drama – Deadline.com

[desperado]

I'm not sure if its been mentioned on R8Talk before (only slightly off-topic) but I recently read "Go Like Hell", the story of Ford & Ferrari battling it out at Le Mans in the 60's. Besides the excellent auto racing history of the development of the Ford GT, it is a very interesting read about that era and two titans of the automotive industry. A fabulous book, I highly recommend it.
EDIT: I suggested my daughter read it over the holidays, and even though she isn't into auto racing she found the book very interesting.
http://golikehellthebook.com