Ron Howard in talks to steer Formula One racing flick, Rush

A few weeks ago before we learned that Paul Greengrass(The Bourne Ultimatum) was going to tackle the Somali pirate film, Maersk Alabama as his next job, he was attached to a biopic of Formula One racer Niki Lauda. It was titled Rush and would focus on his heated rivalry with racer James Hunt. With Greengrass off the table, someone else appears to be jumping into the driver's seat, and that's Ron Howard.

The film was written by Peter Morgan, who worked with Howard on Frost/Nixon just a few years ago. Talks are still pretty early, and I think a lot of it might depend on how fast The Dark Tower gets off the ground. That project is so large in scope, encompassing three films and two TV seasons, that Howard probably won't have time for much else. While it's not exactly in limbo, there isn't exactly a firm start date, either.

Lauda was a three time F1 World Champion, who suffered a terrible crash during the 1976 German Grand Prix at Nürburgring(aka the Green Hell). He would lapse into a coma and suffer extensive burns, but returned to racing just six weeks later. Hunt would go on to take the World Championship that year.

I like the idea of Howard doing a bit different from his usual stuff, because lately he's been flaundering. The Dilemma was better than the reception it received, but The Da Vinci Code movies were a mess.