shelby movie

[Scooter Two]

Tom Cruise will make another racing movie, but he's leaving the NASCAR fire suit in his closet.

Cruise is set to play Carroll Shelby in Go Like Hell, a film adaption of A.J. Baime's book "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans," Variety reports.

The story centers on the legendary contest between Ford and Ferrari at Le Mans. After Enzo Ferrari reportedly backed out of a deal to sell his car company to Ford, Henry Ford II decided to hit Ferrari where he lived, by beating him in one of motorsport's most prestigious arenas.

The result was the Ford GT40, which went on to win Le Mans four times, from 1966 to 1969. Shelby was brought in to manage the effort.

Joseph Kosinski has signed on to direct Go Like Hell. He directed Cruise in the sci-fi thriller Oblivion.

A release date hasn't been set, but Fox has been developing Go Like Hell since 2011, according to Variety (the book was published in 2009).

The Ford-Ferrari rivalry seems like a suitably dramatic choice for a movie, with the clashing personalities of Henry II and Enzo, along with the irascible character of Shelby, providing plenty of potential material.

Plus, who wouldn't want to see a GT40 wailing down the Mulsanne Straight on the big screen?

With this announcement, and the premiere of Ron Howard's Rush, it seems Hollywood is finally figuring out that car movies can be more than just explosions and Vin Diesel.

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