Niki Lauda lines up on the grid for his own biopic

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.



With the Senna biopic now streaming to television sets everywhere, reports are coming in that another film is undergoing production that focuses on Niki Lauda.

The Austrian driver is a three-time Formula One World Champion and rated as one of the best of all time. His career spanned over the 1970s and 1980s, driving most notably for Ferrari, then coming out of retirement to score his third world championship with McLaren - a move that Michael Schumacher surely took to heart.

The film reportedly focuses on the 1976 championship, when Lauda crashed at the Nürburgring, losing his right ear and suffering severe burns to his face. He returned - spoiler alert! - just six weeks later having missed two grands prix, and only to lose the title to James Hunt by just one point.

The screenplay is reportedly being written by Peter Morgan, best known for his work on Frost/Nixon and The Queen. They're apparently still hunting for director and producers, but as for the actor who will play the lead role, Lauda himself reportedly quipped, "Anyone who is 25 or 26 with his right ear burnt off and dreams to be made up to look like me can start making plans."Niki Lauda lines up on the grid for his own biopic originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 May 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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