Chris Hemsworth's James Hunt is driven by the desire to beat Daniel Brühl's Niki Lauda in director Ron Howard's Rush. The first poster reveals a determined Chris Hemsworth in this Formula 1 racing drama, based on the true story of James Hunt and Niki Lauda's intense rivalry on and off the race track. Take a look at this one-sheet, then read on to see what filmmaker Ron Howard had to say about his latest project.

Rush Poster

40 years ago, Ron Howard starred in a different kind of racing film, the classic American Graffiti. When asked what shooting Rush was like, the director compared the experience to two very different films.

"People ask what has Rush been like and I say from a filmmaking standpoint it's been kind of like a cross between Apollo 13 and Backdraft. In the case of Apollo 13, that's for the complexity and the authenticity and the intent to capture an era and an endeavor that blends technology, action and danger. But, then speaking of danger, it reminds me of Backdraft because those fires scared me and so did shooting racing action in this film. I was happy when we wrapped Backdraft and frankly it was the same reaction this time. The relief of it, I was just as happy when we wrapped Rush."

The filmmaker also spoke about what drew him to the story.

"Folks from the era are fond of saying that it's when sex was safe and driving was dangerous. That's the way they lived. These folks aren't forthcoming with a lot of details but there are a lot of winks and nods. I really did sort of fall in love with the sport. I love teams but yet the drivers are really unique talents and fascinating personalities, which is why I was involved in the story that [Frost/Nixon screenwriter] Peter Morgan wrote. There's great acting opportunities blended with this cool, visceral action. I also loved the blend of teamwork and the state-of-the-art technology and, throughout, the wall-to-wall aggressive action."