The first trailer for 20th Century Fox's The Art of Racing in the Rain is finally here. The movie is based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Garth Stein and the movie has been in development for quite a while now. Stein's book was a New York Times Best Seller for 156 weeks and sold over 4 million copies globally. A big screen adaptation was quickly announced by Universal in 2009, but the project never got off of the ground. It wasn't until 2016 when 20th Century Fox took over on the rights that the ball finally started rolling.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is a heartfelt tale narrated by a witty and philosophical dog named Enzo, who is voiced by Kevin Costner in the movie. The story follows Enzo and his best friend and owner, Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia), an aspiring Formula One race car driver, as they navigate the journey of life and the loves of Denny's life - his wife, Eve (Amanda Seyfried) and their young daughter Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). The story is told through Enzo's point of view, presenting a unique storytelling device.

Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition through watching a lot of television (at least that's how it is in the book) and understands that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate the journey of life. Author Garth Stein watched the 1998 Mongolian documentary State of Dogs and then later heard poet Billy Collins give a reading of the poem "The Revenant," which is told from a dog's point of view. The race car driving experience comes from Stein's own experience racing Formula One race cars.

The Art of Racing in the Rain's Enzo the dog is named after Enzo Ferrari, founder of the famous Italian automobile brand of the same name. Garth Stein had originally named the dog Juan Pablo after Colombian race car driver Juan Pablo Montoya, but later decided to change it. Stein taught high speed racing and competed up until he crashed his car while racing in the rain.

The Art of Racing in the Rain hits theaters on August 9th and is directed by Simon Curtis from a screenplay written by Mark Bomback, which is based on the novel by Garth Stein. Neal H. Moritz, Patrick Dempsey (who was originally set to star in the movie back in 2009), Tania Landau serve as producers on the big screen adaptation. The cast features Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Gary Cole, Kathy Baker, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Martin Donovan, and the voice of Kevin Costner as Enzo the dog. You can watch the first trailer for The Art of Racing in the Rain below, thanks to the 20th Century Fox YouTube channel.