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Disney Starts the Engine on Techno Action Thriller 'Hovercar 3D'

by Ethan Anderton
November 18, 2010

Apparently Disney is still high on the fast-paced action of light cycles from the forthcoming Tron Legacy as the studio has just lined up another high-speed techno action thriller. 24 Frames reports the Mouse House have been developing Hovercar 3D, an adaptation of a young adult book series from author Matthew Reilly. Apparently the property was picked up six years ago with the creators of Smallville behind the project, but development has started all over once again. Much like Tron Legacy, a relatively unknown director is being brought onboard in Fredrik Bond, who recently signed on to direct Year 12, a new sci-fi action film. Read on!

The first book in the series sounds like another Speed Racer (which still makes me think that the Wackowski siblings film was ahead of its time) meets the video game series F-Zero, but I'll let the official summary do the talking:

In the world of the near future, the most popular sport in the world is hover car racing. Superfast and dangerous, its heroes are the racers: part fighter pilot, part race-car driver, all superstar.

But to get to the Pro Circuit, you must first pass through the International Race School, a brutal cauldron of wild races on even wilder courses, where only the best of the best will survive.

This is the story of Jason Chaser, a talented young racer selected to attend the Race School. He’s younger than the other students. He’s smaller. His trusty car, the Argonaut, is older. But Jason Chaser is no ordinary racer. And as he races against the best drivers in the world he will learn that at Race School winning is everything, that not everyone in this world fights fair, and that you never ever have any friends on the track.

Strap on your seatbelts and hold on tight because the pace of reading just went supersonic!

That's pretty much right up Disney's alley, and apparently the story and challenges in the series have been compared to Harry Potter, a good snag for the studio as the popular Warner Bros. franchise comes to an end. As for director Fredrik Bond, well you can get a good look at his work by checking out this collection of his commercials thanks to SlashFilm. He's got some unique style, and he really makes a commercial easier to watch. He's also been attached to director Hack/Slash and a remake of The Host for awhile, so he's been waiting for his feature film debut for a little while now. If Bond can make a big splash at Disney in the same way that Joe Kosinski has been blowing minds with Tron Legacy, then he'll have quite a career ahead of him. What do you guys think?

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