Eric Bana recruits Jeremy Clarkson for directorial debut
Story by Jack Foley
AWARD-winning actor and motor racing enthusiast Eric Bana has cast himself in his directorial debut, Love The Beast… and recruited fellow motor enthusiast Jeremy Clarkson in the process.
Bana’s film explores the importance of his 25-year-long love affair with his first car – a 1974 Ford Falcon Coupe – nicknamed ‘The Beast’.
Obsessed with cars and racing since he was a child, Bana – whose film credits include Hulk, Troy, Munich and The Other Boleyn Girl – takes us on a journey that spans a lifetime and culminates in the Beast’s untimely death in one of the world’s most dangerous races, the Targa Tasmania.
With guidance from three life-long friends as well as other self-confessed petrol heads Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson and world renowned psychologist Dr Phil McGraw Eric examines the significance of the bond that is formed around a common passion.
Love The Beast represents a personal milestone for the actor turned filmmaker and Bana is enthused and proud.
He says: “I’m very excited about this project. It has been both fun and incredibly exhausting at the same time and has enabled me to combine my two passions: cars and filmmaking. It started out as a simple project, but events along the way conspired to turn it into something I could never have envisioned.”
The feature length film explores Eric and the significance of his old friends, hobbies, and what it means to live life to the fullest.
Peter Hill, Producer, Whyte House Productions said, “This is a film for everybody not just those who love cars. We tried hard to capture the essence of having a passion for an activity outside of your daily job and that’s what we think everyone will share in.”
Love The Beast, which was filmed in Los Angeles, Melbourne and London, is set to be released in cinemas across the UK in 2009 once a UK distribution partner for the film has been secured.
The film’s producers hope to run a series of “People’s Premieres” where everyday folk turn up in their favourite Beast and celebrate the passion they all share.