Combining
non-stop automotive thrills with the widescreen desert settings
of David Lean, Standard 8 Releasing is in production on
the landmark action adventure, “The Last Road Trip:
Paris to Dakar.” The big screen epic will be the first
of its kind, and will focus on several teams of bold adventurers
who attempt to complete the world's most famous rally, a
race followed passionately by several hundred million fans
throughout Europe and Asia each year. The feature film will
showcase spectacular cinematography punctuated by intense
action, and the mystique of the Lone Rider in the desert
as epitomized by racing compatriots Thierry Sabine and Hubert
Auriol.
The
Paris to Dakar is the world's most famous rally. Fans from
156 countries tune in to view it every year, and automobile
companies from the United States, Europe and Asia invest
millions annually to compete. Founded in 1979 by Sabine
after racing through the desert on a single motorcycle,
the race has grown to include hundreds of entrants each
year who compete by truck, car or motorcycle. Traditionally
beginning the first week of January, the race continues
over three weeks and 6,000 miles as the entire convoy idles
through France and Spain before letting it rip across the
desert sands of Morocco, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. The
exact route is constantly subject to change due to the intense
volatility of the region, but somehow the violent threat
of local mercenaries only adds to the rally's lore.
The
Last Road Trip: Paris to Dakar is targeted at more than
The Fast and The Furious crowd. In the U.S. alone there
are 75 million Americans who follow motor sports, 60 million
homes that receive SpeedTV, 30 million people who play PS2
racing games, and millions more who attend blockbuster action
movies, very few of whom have ever been exposed to the magic
of the Dakar rally on the big screen. With IMAX movies pulling
in substantial per-screen numbers on very few screens, it
is inevitable that event films of the future will provide
a high-quality cinematic adrenaline rush to the multiplexes.
With
secondary footage currently being shot, principal photography
commences the last week of December 2003, as the race begins
at the Eiffel Tower and continues over three weeks and 6,000
miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania and
Senegal. The exact route is subject to change due to the
intense volatility of the region.
Faced
with such overwhelming obstacles as sandstorms, searing
heat, deadly land mines, and desert mercenaries, the competitors
have one goal: Arrive alive.
For
more information and to see preview clips, vist: www.thelastroadtrip.com