For more than four years, Stallone followed the racing circuit. fine-tuned his screenplay and shopped the project around Hollywood. "It's been a struggle to get this film made." he reveals. "People kept telling me it couldn't be done, which made me more even determined to prove them wrong."
Til Schweiger says Stallone's determination to make "Driven" impressed and inspired him. "I admire Sly's vision and persistence." he says. "The whole story of the first 'Rocky' is a perfect example. This movie is another. It would have been so easy after four years for Sly to say, 'Forget about it. I'll go make another movie,' but he said, 'No, this is my dream and I'm going to achieve it.' He wouldn't give up."
Stallone ultimately brought his screenplay to Elie Samaha, founder and chairman of Franchise Pictures. "I said 'Yes!' right away," Samaha recalls. "It was a great, classic story about a man seeking redemption, a man who doesn't give up. It's filled with drama, humor, action and great characters, and it's set in the racing world, which has millions of fans around the globe. I love the story and the setting."
Even after Samaha agreed, it was still a challenge to put together a filmmaking team that could pull off this groundbreaking project. "A car racing film is not exactly an easy movie to make," Stallone cautions. "You have to understand the sport, as well as be passionate about the machine and the people involved. You can find a lot of guys that comprehend one aspect, but to find someone who 'gets' both elements is difficult. I'm blessed to be collaborating with Renny Harlin, who has the vision and talent to make this film as big as it can be. He's taken the story to another level."
Stallone's character-driven screenplay presented director Harlin with an opportunity to combine his love of action with an ensemble drama grounded in the real lives of real people. "In this instance, both Sly and I had a lot of passion for the same subject, so it made sense to make it together," says Harlin. who collaborated with Stallone on the blockbuster thriller "Cliffhanger." "With 'Driven,' we want to show audiences why racing is one of the most popular sports in the world. We want to take you places you've never been - inside the engine, inside the driver's head, all the way into the wall during a crash and 360 degrees as it spins around. We're making a race car film unlike any you've ever seen before."
When Stallone and Harlin began the casting process, they turned to box office legend Burt Reynolds to fill the formidable role of team owner Carl Henry. "It was great to be back in pit lane, even if I was the only guy who didn't get to drive," Reynolds jokes. "Sly and I have known each other for twenty years and have been trying to find something to work on for almost as long. With 'Driven,' great roles and a common interest finally brought us together."
Both Harlin. who was born and raised in Finland, and Stallone felt it was important to depict the diverse nature of the people and places behind the international sport of open-wheel racing. "Auto racing is the most popular sport around the world along with soccer," says Harlin. "Sly and I both agreed our cast and locations had to reflect that."
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