Gary Ross has made a deal with Universal Pictures to develop and direct an untitled drama set against the world of NASCAR racing, reports Variety.
The script is being written by Terence Winter, the “Sopranos” executive producer who most recently adapted “The Wolf of Wall Street” for Martin Scorsese at Warner Bros.
NASCAR has agreed to cooperate, so Ross will be able to use the circuit’s tracks and footage of actual races and drivers, as well as shoot scenes during races.
The film will be produced by Ross, Scott Stuber, Mary Parent and Jimmy Miller in a co-production between their Larger Than Life, Stuber/Parent and Mosaic Media Group.
The NASCAR drama will focus on an up-and-coming driver who scratches his way into the circuit and develops a mentor/rival relationship with the driver he grew up idolizing. The dynamic is made more complex because the vet racer’s son drives for his father’s team.
Ross intends to next direct The Free State of Jones, a pic about rebellion set in Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Ross recently completed the animated The Tale of Despereaux, which he wrote and produced with wife Allison Thomas. Universal bows the film on Dec. 19.
