Thor star Chris Hemsworth is in talks to star in the racing drama Rush for Cross Creek Pictures. We reported last month that Ron Howard is in talks to direct Rush, which is now shaping up to be the director's next project.

Rush is a biopic on Formula 1 racer Niki Lauda, and his rivalry with fellow racer James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth). Niki Lauda barely survived a fiery crash during a 1976 race, and still came back a mere six weeks later to race James Hunt.

Ron Howard will apparently direct Rush from a screenplay by Peter Morgan. The deals for both Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth are not locked in yet, but negotiations are moving in the right direction.

A distributor has not been set for Rush yet, although it is believed to land at Universal due to the studio's longstanding relationship with Ron Howard.