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Brad Pitt & Josh Brolin Behind the Steering Wheel in Go Like Hell?

by Ethan Anderton
October 28, 2009
Source: The Playlist

Many times an actor will express interest in a specific project, but the union of the two never really comes to fruition. A situation just like that surfaced recently in the choice to go with Clancy Brown for Guy Ritchie's Lobo as opposed to an interested Jeffrey Dean Morgan. A story in the same vein just might be in the works as The Playlist picked up on some info revealed in comedian Adam Corrolla's podcast when producer Lucas Foster (Law Abiding Citizen, Mr & Mrs. Smith) mentioned on the show that Brad Pitt and Josh Brolin have expressed interest in his project Go Like Hell, a fast-paced adrenaline-fueled racing flick for Fox.

The film is based on A.J. Baime's non-fiction book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, which tells the remarkable story of how Henry Ford II, with the help of a young visionary named Lee Iacocca and former racing champ turned engineer, Carroll Shelby, concocted a scheme to reinvent the Ford company. They would enter the high-stakes world of European car racing, where an adventurous few threw safety and sanity to the wind. They would design, build, and race a car that could beat Enzo Ferrari at his own game at 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most prestigious and brutal race in the world, something no American car had ever done.

Of course, this early in the game there's no reason to assume that this is a done deal, as Foster's casting comments come along with a laundry list of dream actors he wants to put behind the steering wheel. The names he mentions include the A-List, award winning likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, Eric Bana and the always popular Matt Damon, who was mentioned in reference to the specific role of American race car driver Phil Hill. With the rich history of the story and high caliber of talent he's going after (let alone the interest of Pitt and Brolin so far) this has the potential to be a really fun period piece.

"I'm trying to make a movie that's more about the drivers than the politics. I'm trying to make a first-person experience out of this where it really puts the audience in the cockpit. This is what it's like to go 200 miles an hour with a car that's not really all that controllable."

After those kind of statements, I think the intrigue kind of loses its edge. Honestly, if I wanted that kind of experience, then I would play a video game. What's really interesting here is the dynamic between these automotive giants and the meat and potatoes of their conflict and dynasty. Obviously some racing would be fun, but I don't need to watch NASCAR on the big screen. But once again, it's still early for this production, and I'm hoping that Foster can get some great talent to come together and tell an interesting story set in the world of race car driving. As long as it doesn't turn out like Speed Racer, am I right? What about you?

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