29 replies to this topic

[molive]

F-1 snubs Stallone

Misses big opportunity to showcase sport in U.S.
WALTER BUCHIGNANI
The Gazette

Don't know about you, but I don't think it's such a great idea to go thumbing your nose at Sylvester Stallone. And yet that's what Formula One has done, just as it tries once again to sell the Euro-chic sport to a skeptical American public.

Granted, Sunday's grand prix at Indianapolis, the first in the U.S. in almost a decade, will be a huge success, with a sellout crowd of 250,000 packing the American temple of motorsport.

But, as Jacques Villeneuve has pointed out, "the grandstands will be full because it is the first time that there is a Formula One race at Indianapolis, but that doesn't mean that it will be appreciated by the American public.

"In every sport, Americans are used to supporting their own champions and they are not interested in the rest of the world. Motorsport is no exception, so a U.S. grand prix without American drivers and cars will not attract that much attention."

Which is why when Sly came knocking a few years ago with the idea of making a Hollywood movie about F-1, the sport's powerbrokers should have swung the door wide open.

Instead, reports say, Stallone threw in the towel in the latter stages of negotiations when he could not gain the access he needed from F-1 control freak Bernie Ecclestone.

So the mega-star opted to base his movie on the American CART series instead, with some of the filming now under way in Blainville, north of Montreal.

Talk about a missed opportunity.

Now a Hollywood blockbuster about CART, starring one of tinseltown's biggest names, could well serve as the knockout punch to the future of F-1 in the U.S.

And Ecclestone et al won't be able to say they didn't see it coming.

[NYR2119935]

good !!!!!!

[BuzzingHornet]

No, I heard that the FIA told him to get lost because he wanted to have Ferrari smuggling heroin in the movie...

Face it, it would have been Days of Thunder crossed with Rocky! I'm personally glad that he wan't allowed near it. It would hardly have compared with Frankenheimer's Grand Prix

[dooly]

Good ol' Sly is on TV right now....Cliffhanger....

In a way I'm glad he stayed away from F1.... Was he going to play an F1 driver or Team Boss?

[mountain dude]

dont be so pessimistic, molive. bobby rahal's move is one more step towards an american team in f1, and as soon as there is an able american driver they might as well hire him.

md

[Ed Campbell]

I agree with Buzzing Hornet. There was a terrific interview with Jim Garner in conjunction with the most recent showing of Grand Prix on Speedvision -- and Garner's position was that NO film crew, today, realistically, could have the kind of control over cars, teams, courses, etc. that they were granted during the making of GP.

Although Stallone has made one successful -- and I mean realistic, truthful -- sport film, Victory, I believe most of the storyline decisions and direction were kept away from his Rocky 101 decisions. Even then, there was a load of crap added to make him more of a hero. I shudder to think at what Hollywood would come up with making a film about F1 racing. Frankenheimer wasn't exactly under contract to Disney or Viacom when he made Grand Prix -- and wouldn't have been allowed to make anything more than an exploitation film -- if he was.

[arcwulf7]

Days of Thunder didn't make Nascar, and Champs will not undo Formula 1. I think most North American F1 fans are just hoping some threshold has been reached to keep F1 in the States. But it has died before, leaving a lovely venue like Watkins Glen with its dedicated fan base to go to those gawdawful street circuits of the 80's. And it did that despite the film Grand Prix, which imho, could never be matched a visual spectacle by the Stallone film.

[Witt]

I'm glad Stallone didn't get to make an F1 movie. It would have been so far from the truth that when the non-f1-literate American fans compared it to the real thing this weekend, they'd have been even more disapointed by the lack of crashes, dramatic sex scenes on the yard of bricks, et al. Stallone would have put so much crap in that movie that it would bring us all on this BB to tears if we'd have seen it.

[Max Torque]

Personally, I wouldn't want americans to become too familiar with F1. They have a tendency to take over whatever they might find interesting, then change it to fit their own specific needs. I prefer F1 as a "european stronghold".

Unfortunately people like Bernie have a different opinion. They think that it's ok to change the sports image, if that will make it more popular. I disagree and prefer my F1 as it is now.

PS. I hope our american BB members aren't offended by what I said. I don't have anything against them. It's just that I fear that certain american powers that be might come to F1 and make it a more "entertaining package for the american family".

[molive]

Does anybody actually knows the plot of the CART movie he´s filming in Montreal?

Sly is too big to be a driver. I guess that in an F1 flick he´s have to play someone like Ross Brawn, while in CART he could well play Roberto Moreno...

[Halfwitt]

As he is an older gentleman, I would guess Mr. Stallone would be more suited to CART, where tired old drivers go to earn more money, and make the talents of the few better drivers seem even more incredible by comparison.

In an F1 movie he could play a team manager, tyre fitter, truckie, or a driver's Dad I suppose.

My guess is that the plot will be aging driver makes improbable comeback, gets nice woman, wins championship.
If you substitute 'boxer' for 'driver', it could be called Rocky VI.

[The Swerve]

Apparently the plot of champs is something aong the lines of Stallone is a ex driver who has to come back to look after a young wild charger with a lot of potential if only Stallone can tame him.....charger meets girl, girl falls in love with charger...blah blah...

Another boring hollywood film, where we get lots of gratutious shots of the Star Spangled banner, lots of talk about freedom etc etc....you know the usual propaganda.

In the end the President of the USA turns out to be a world class driver and wins the final race to become world champion.

I think that's the plot anyway, and if it isn't then I hope Sly is reading this and takes my ideas on board.;)

[Cobra]

Max Torque I don't think that F1 will be ruined by too much American involvement, mainstream America for most part
will overlook F1. Even hardcore Nascar fans are beginning to complain. The bandwagonism that has taken place due to the sports popularity has attracted the unenlightened casual fan influencing the Nascar organization; now gearing their product and maketing strategy to appeal to Joe Blow as opposed to dedicated race fans. It won't happen with F1 in the US.

I've read somewhere that Stallone's 'Champs' is a story of a veteran driver(Stallone)who is asked to come out of retirement and mentor and hone a talented rookie driver into champion. I've seen some scenes being shot here in Toronto: they were towing Blundell's Pacwest Reynard down University Ave at night for one scene I remember. The leading lady is a local Toronto actress also; she's alright I guess. [p][Edited by Cobra on 09-21-2000]

[Cobra]

I would be utterly dispointed if Stallone's film didn't include an action scene where he is racing down a red army surplus Hind E gunship in his Champcar and a compound bow with explosive heads. The plot would involve Michael Andretti wanting to be THE one true Italian Stallion so he goes over to the dark side, making a pact with AJ Foyt.

[pa]

Well, a buddy of mine had a part in the film as a member of a pit crew in Toronto, and the plot is pretty silly - an old champion is persuaded to come back and train a rookie driver and ends up competing for the championship one more time. Needless to say, in Stallone's case, the notion is totally unrealistic. If the film gets as many viewers at the theaters as the CART series does on TV, it'll be tits up in the gutter in a week. Hell, I think I can smell it already!

BTW, my friend also tells me that Stallone is a ******** of the first order, pulling screaming fits on set, whining about stuff that doesn't matter, impossible demands, etc. My bud (who is actually a professional driver, and a damned good one at that) was cast as a pit crew member - Stallone screamed that he and his fellow crew members, dressed in nomex firesuits, "didn't look realistic enough". Yeah right, Sly, shut up and bite this.

But my bud got him back pretty good - smacked him hard in the forehead (by accident) with the visor of the helmet he was wearing at the time. That must've hurt bigtime.

Bernie probably got fed up with his act and told him to piss off. Good riddance.[p][Edited by pa on 09-21-2000]

[BuzzingHornet]

hahahahaha no way! Yeah that'll be realistic! They should make him work for his slice of glory, enter him in a CART race and see how well he does ;) I'm sure Juan Pablo Montoya would be wetting his pants

[P1 Pyrsol]

Who is WALTER BUCHIGNANI and why is he allowed to editorialize on topics about which he knows squat? Is this an American newspaper?

[jaxfan]

Max Torque -

[NYR2119935]

blaaaaaahhh

[Brent]

"In the end the President of the USA turns out to be a world class driver and wins the final race to become world champion"

AHHHHHHHHHhahahahaahahaaheheheee!!

Like that movie about the planet being invaded by aliens, and the President gives his stirring speech and then jumps into a jet fighter and starts to blow the green guys away!! I sort of enjoyed that movie up to that point.

Over here our Prime Minister is a lady called Helen Clark. I think she would make a great team boss in Sly's flick!

[Turbo]

"Like that movie about the planet being invaded by aliens, and the President gives his stirring speech and then jumps into a jet fighter and starts to blow the green guys away!!"

Yeah that is pretty hilarious. That would be Independence Day. I also found it amusing how they were able to figure out how to use the alien spacecraft so quickly and master space travel and expert flying tactics within a matter of days.

[Daemon]

Nothing against him personally, but Stallone hasn't made a decent movie since Rocky, and i'm sure that if they had made an F1 movie, then I would have walked out of it in the first 10 minutes.

[molive]

What about MARS ATTACKS? Now THAT was funny. Jack Nicholson as the President "why can't we all get along?"...

[NYR2119935]

u people are way too picky
who cares about the plot

we will see champcars with 2.8 v8 turbocharged engines at 15, 000 rpms!

why complain??????????

[Daemon]

True, a 2.8 turbocharged V8 DOES have a lot more personality than Stallone. Probably more acting ability too. Maybe I will see it if Sly shuts up and lets the V8 do the talking.;)

[Turbo]

900 hp turbo engines PLUS Estella Warren and Gina Gershon! Hey, even if the rest of the thing totally bites, I'm there!

[NYR2119935]

HAHA

That's the spirit Turbo !!

lol

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

A freind of mine saw him here in Montreal sitting in a Reynard that was on a flat bed truck with a big fan being blowing on him, he was acting like he was driving the car, my friend said it was hilarious and that Sly was being a complete idiot yelling and screaming at everything

[RiverRunner]

Sheeeesh,any a you guys actually shot a film?
It's a tough biz,those cameras,lens and film cost more than the cars and an extra day on set is a minimum 300G.If Stallone wasn't bitchin' the producer would be crying and the bankers would have heart attacks.
Believe me,as an ex set builder outta Hollyweird,Stallone is a bully as a director,but then again I've never met a director that wasn't in one way or the other.
Dat's their job.
I have a very close friend that is a director,Oscar nominated even,but the guy turns into a class one a hole behind the camera and I rarely go to see him shoot anymore cuz I don't like to see him like that.I'd much rather be cracking a beer or a bottle of wine with him at his ranch in Joshua Tree instead of seeing him in a rage behind the camera and on set.
Any exposure of OW racing is good,for whatever series it's shot for,and Sly is no lightweight in town,this thing is gonna get tons of hype on the talkshows,news rags or whatever prior to and including it's premiere and release.

Bernie cudda had this exposure for literally peanuts and he let CART get it instead.
That's the point.

JMO

[NYR2119935]

Go Sly and CART!!