Barrie M. Osborne To Produce Mclaren Film

Barrie M. Osborne To Produce Feature Film About Bruce Mclaren

A proposed feature film about the life of internationally celebrated Formula One racing driver Bruce McLaren (1937-1970) has taken another step further today with Barrie M. Osborne - Academy Award® winning producer of The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy - confirming he will be the producer of the film.

Osborne, who has produced or executive produced several other major movies including The Matrix and The Big Chill, said the McLaren story was a truly inspiring and highly emotional story that simply had to be told.

"McLaren, a New Zealander, was one of the world's pre-eminent sportsmen. His name is still synonymous with the international motor sport scene through Team McLaren Mercedes."

This film will capture the inspiring, highly emotional true story of how McLaren, who was crippled with a hip joint problem as a child, rose through energy and skill to establish the most successful professional racing team in the history of world motor sport.

The film has all the ingredients of an international blockbuster: a fast-paced drama set against the competitive and glamorous world of international motor racing, and is set to tap into motor racing's vast, established global fan base.

Osborne is working with co-producer and motor sport enthusiast Michael Garlick. Garlick has designed, built and driven racing cars and has produced and directed over 350 television broadcasts for major international broadcasters including Cox Cable in the United States. Throughout his production career, Garlick has been quietly formulating the Bruce McLaren film project.

Osborne and Garlick have brought together a number of high profile New Zealanders and international personalities to advise on the film.

They include Amanda, Patty and Janice McLaren (daughter, widow and sister of Bruce McLaren respectively), Phil Kerr (McLaren's close friend and business colleague), Chris Amon (friend and contemporary Formula One driver), the Hon. Jim Anderton (college schoolmate) and Chris Abbott (New Zealand motor sport leader and corporate lawyer).

The pair believes the film will attract international attention as well as local support because of McLaren's profile and the public’s continued interest in motor sport and the McLaren Team.

"We have been really pleased with the interest shown so far in this project both in New Zealand and internationally. We have just begun the work of logistics planning and production research. Bruce McLaren is such an important subject that painstaking care is being taken in portraying him in an accurate and authentic manner and attention to detail will be critical for the film's success."

Continued development of the film and pre-production will take up all of 2007, with a projected filming commencement date of early 2008.

For further information call:
Michael Garlick
+64 (0) 21 168 1249

Or Claire Johnstone
+64 (0) 274 300 499

New Zealand time is GMT + 12 hours.

Bruce McLaren Movie - Questions and Answers

Who was Bruce McLaren?

Bruce McLaren ranks with the greats of automotive history and rightly takes his place alongside Carl Benz, Henry Ford, Louis Renault, Ferdinand Porsche, Soichiro Honda and Enzo Ferrari.

Who could have imagined that a small boy riding his homemade trolley down Upland Road in Remuera would, in his short life of 32 years, become one of the most loved and respected people in motor racing history? And who would have thought that New Zealander Bruce McLaren's name and reputation would eventually be used to enhance the image of Mercedes Benz, as it is today?

Born and educated in Auckland, New Zealand, McLaren began racing sports cars while a student at Seddon Memorial Technical College. In 1957, at age 20, he raced in the New Zealand Grand Prix, which began his meteoric rise to the upper echelons of motor racing and racing car design. Team McLaren, formed in 1966, has been the most successful team in world motor sport ever since with victories in the Tasman, Formula One, Indianapolis 500, Le Mans and Can-Am racing series and championships.

No-one could have predicted that the ten-year-old boy battling Perthes Disease at an Auckland children's home would develop an astonishingly sharp mind, an irrepressibly cheerful personality and leadership qualities that would not only enable him to walk again, but would lead him to Europe in a bid to conquer the world of motor racing.

Nor could they have foreseen that the cheeky teenager with the limp would overcome the doubts of the international racing community to become, at 22 years of age, the youngest winner of a Formula One World Championship race - the United States Grand Prix - a feat only bettered since by new McLaren Formula One driver and Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso.

The young New Zealander even attracted the attention of Henry Ford II. In an attempt to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford turned to McLaren and Chris Amon to engineer and drive their difficult Ford GT40 racing cars. The picture of Bruce McLaren, Henry Ford and Chris Amon on the winners' podium at Le Mans still hangs proudly at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

The achievements of Bruce McLaren and his small band of brilliant Kiwis is New Zealand's contribution to world automotive history. Their fame was far greater around the world than it was at home. Bruce's is a New Zealand story of global impact, founded on a heritage that is recognised and appreciated worldwide.

What made McLaren special?

As a child, Bruce McLaren suffered from a crippling disability, Perthes Disease, which saw him spend two years in traction at the Wilson Home for Crippled Children in Takapuna, Auckland. He recovered, learned engineering at secondary school and went on to design, build and race his cars in the arenas of Formula One, Indianapolis, Le Mans, Can-Am and the Tasman Series. He established the most successful motor racing team in the history of the sport, and his personality and achievements won him friends and enduring respect around the world.

What did he achieve?

Between 1964 and 1974, McLaren and his team achieved all of their goals and ambitions by winning the Tasman Series, five Can-Am Sports Car Racing Championships in North America, the Indianapolis 500, the Classic 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Formula One World Championship. No other team in history has ever accomplished such a record of success. McLaren's principal competitor, Ferrari, tried and failed to win the Can-Am series and the Indianapolis 500, leaving McLaren's record unequalled to this day in the annals of motor racing history.

What were the team colours?

In the early days, McLaren cars were painted silver and black, New Zealand's sporting colours. Team colours changed to 'McLaren Orange' in 1967 due to commercial considerations but Bruce McLaren always raced in a silver and black helmet. The McLaren Racing badge and car emblem had a Kiwi at its centre.

How did Bruce McLaren die?

McLaren died in an accident on the 2nd of June 1970, at age 32, while testing a Can-Am car at the Goodwood circuit in England. He left behind his wife Patty and his young daughter Amanda.

Does the McLaren family support the making of this film?

Bruce McLaren's daughter Amanda and sister Jan are both part of the project's working group, and his widow Patty has given her support to the film. Many of Bruce's friends and colleagues are also closely involved with the production. They are the closest we can get now to the real Bruce McLaren, and we deeply appreciate and respect their willingness to share their personal knowledge and memories. There have been many other attempts to make this film, but never before have Bruce's family and friends agreed to be involved.

Where will the film be made?

After leaving New Zealand in 1958, McLaren lived in Britain and raced at all of the major circuits around the world, following the Formula One, Can-Am and Tasman Series. Locations will include New Zealand, United Kingdom, Monaco, Germany, France and the USA. It is too early to say how much of the film will be shot in New Zealand but we will be trying to include as much as we can. This is a great country for making movies, and Bruce McLaren's story is a New Zealand story.

When will the film be made?

By the middle of 2007 we expect to have finished the script and research work. This will be followed by six months of pre-production. We expect filming will take up much of 2008, with release in the following year.

Who will write the screenplay?

The script is being developed by Wellington screenwriter Matthew Grainger. Grainger has written a number of scripts for television and film and most recently co-wrote The Tattooist, currently in post-production.

Matthew has been a McLaren fan since he attended his first Formula One Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in 1992, and he has attended several F1 races since, both while he was studying for his Masters Degree in Film Theory at the University of Kent in England and more recently at the Melbourne Grand Prix.

When the producers first approached Matthew as one on the short list of possible screenwriters they asked him: "Do you know anything about Bruce McLaren?" Grainger's reply was, "As a matter of fact I have a McLaren Mercedes Racing baseball cap sitting on top of my computer right now - when do I start?"

It is important that the screenwriter is not just a highly skilled writer, but also a committed racing fan who is passionate about motor racing and Bruce McLaren, and Matthew fits the profile perfectly.

Who will be the film's Production Designer?

This will be undertaken by Academy Award® winning production designer Dan Hennah. Dan's impressive list of achievements to date includes art directing The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy, Peter Jackson's King Kong and The Frighteners. He has recently completed work on The Waterhorse for Barrie M. Osborne.

Who is investing in it?

Development of the film is being financed by a group of private New Zealand-based investors. Production financing and global distribution is being handled by Barrie M. Osborne.

What will the film’s budget be?

Bruce McLaren's story deserves to be told at the highest level of cinematic storytelling, and films of this magnitude usually cost in the region of US$100 million.

Where will you get the McLaren cars from?

Bruce's cars were so astonishingly good that many of the originals were kept. They have been restored or maintained in running condition by colleagues, friends and collectors. Some of them are in New Zealand; a few were destroyed or lost, but we will rebuild the ones we need. Bruce's original designers and mechanics have already asked to be involved.

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