We’re not exactly seeing the return of Cole Trickle or Ricky Bobby in the big screen, but this one could turn into something better than Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights. NASCAR->ke3635 has announced that it’s collaborating with Academy Award-winning Steven Soderbergh on a feature film called Logan Lucky.
The movie->ke3897 will reportedly be headlined by Channing Tatum and will also star Daniel Craig, Katherine Heigl, Riley Keough, Seth McFarlane, and Kylo Ren himself, Adam Driver. While this film will be Tatum's first movie project with NASCAR, the 36-year old actor has been involved with the sport, most notably his stint as a grand marshall with 22 Jump Street co-star Jonah Hill during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 400 in 2014.
The specifics of the plot have yet to be revealed, but it is going to be a heist movie that will take place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Soderbergh will sit on the director’s chair for the movie, making it the first film he’ll be directing since his “retirement” from film making in 2013. Before that, the critically-acclaimed director was responsible for a number of notable films, including Erin Brockovich and Traffic, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2001. Soderbergh also has experience in the heist film genre, having directed the Ocean’s Trilogy in the mid 2000’s.
For its part, NASCAR is going to be heavily involved in the project. NASCAR VP of entertainment marketing and content development Zane Stoddard commented on the film project, calling it a “big-heated, fun story that showcases NASCAR and the Charlotte Motor Speedway as the world-class sports entertainment property and venue that they are.” Stoddard will also serve as an executive producer in the movie. Pre-production for the film is expected to begin at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 this weekend with an eye towards a Fall 2017 release.
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Why it matters
I like Channing Tatum as an actor, but I will say that apart from the Jump Street movies, I can’t say that I’m a big fan of a lot of his works. Jupiter Ascending, anyone? But I am willing to concede to his reported starring role in this movie because of Steven Soderbergh. As far as heist movies are concerned, Soderbergh is arguably one of the best to do it and anyone who has seen the three Oceans movies will attest to that.
I’m excited what he can do with this movie, knowing that he has all of NASCAR at his disposal. And to think that this is a heist-themed flick makes me wonder what exactly Tatum and company will be after? Maybe a special engine block that renders everything else obsolete? How about billions of sponsorship money that just vanishes in the middle of the night? Maybe it’s an actual NASCAR race car or maybe it’s Stoddard himself in a surprising twist.
There are a lot of plotline possibilities to consider and having Soderbergh sort those out makes me confident about how the film will be made. And to the casting team’s credit, Tatum won’t be the only big name in the movie. Mr. James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, is reportedly on board, as is the well-versed Katherine Heigl who has stared in scores of movies. Lastly, Adam Driver, who staked his name to A-list status with his role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Kylo Ren, will be involved. And we can't forget about Seth McFarlane, the creator of Family Guy.
Expect to hear more about Logan Lucky in the coming months now that production is expected to start. If production sticks to its current schedule and doesn’t have any setbacks or delays, the movie will be released in a little over a year. That’s not really a long wait in the film industry and it’s enough time for Soderbergh and his crew to work up their magic and give us an excellent heist film like only the Academy Award-winning director can.