Central Australia’s Finke Desert Race is set to get the Hollywood treatment in a feature-length film and documentary series, bringing one of Australia’s most brutal outback off-road races to a global audience.
The annual race will be the focus of a new project of Chris Hemsworth’s production company, Wild State.
The announcement comes as the Finke prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary of the race that started with a group of motorcyclists wanting to race through the desert 230 kilometres to the Aputula/Finke community.
The race has evolved dramatically since its beginnings in 1976, with the introduction of cars in 1988 and major advances in automotive technology. Along the way, it has seen its share of triumphs, tragedy and heartbreak — providing rich material for the upcoming film’s storyline.
Finke Desert Race committee vice-president Kelsey Branford said the news had been held tightly under wraps.
She said the scriptwriters are Dan Walser and Ricky Staub, who recently wrote Concrete Cowboys starring Idris Elba and Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin.
“[The production company] flew in about four or five weeks ago, and we had them talk to a whole bunch of people from all different parts of the race with two scriptwriters and the producer and the director,” she said.
Ms Branford said there would be a role written specifically for Chris Hemsworth.
Kelsey Branford hopes the production supports local businesses and expertise. (Supplied: Finke Desert Race committee)
“I have a feeling he’ll be a bike rider,” she said.
“He loves racing motorbikes.”
Ms Branford said that the film would hopefully focus on the “pointy end of the field”, not just one of the hundreds of bucket-list competitors.
She said the feature-length film was only in the development stage, and there were many hurdles before audiences would see anything in cinemas.
No stranger to the desert, Chris Hemsworth starred in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. (Supplied: Warner Bros Pictures)
“Once the scriptwriters write it, it’ll form part of a pitch package that they’ll go out to studios with and then fully cost it … and see if anyone picks it up,” she said.
Ms Branford said that once the production team arrived this week, they would be meeting with stakeholders.
“We’ve connected them with Screen Territory because we want to utilise as much local [expertise].”
The desert decides
Two-time King of the Desert , Rick Hall, who won the motorcycle category in 1999 and 2002, said a production team came to his house several weeks ago.
“I guess they want to know about [the race],”
he said.
Rick Hall has been approached by a production team. (ABC Alice Springs: Victoria Ellis)
Hall said the production team had been out with five-time winner David Walsh to look at the track and had done some filming.
“It’s a cool thing to be happening for Finke and for Alice Springs,” he said.
‘We want it here’
Senior director of Screen Territory Jennie Hughes welcomed the news and would be meeting with Wild State producer John Graham at this year’s Finke Desert Race.
“I think this [movie] is going to be bigger and better than anything we’ve ever had here. It’ll be fantastic,” she said.
Jennie Hughes says it will be fantastic for Alice Springs.
Ms Hughes said it would be appropriate for a Finke Desert Race feature-length movie to be filmed in Alice Springs.
“We’re going to make a huge pitch for it. Absolutely, we want it her,”
she said.
“It’s the home of Finke.”
Ms Hughes said she was cautiously optimistic that the project would be successful.
“I don’t want to speak too soon, but it’s Chris Hemsworth. He’s a very bankable star. He’s just fabulous.“
Ms Hughes said there were federal government incentives to film in Australia as well as NT government funding, but it was too early to make any financial commitments yet.
“We’ll have a look at what the spend is in the Northern Territory, which is what our investment is based on, how many businesses are going to be engaged, and how many Northern Territorians are going to be employed,” she said.
Robyn Lambley says the recent Finke Desert Rave did not enjoy the number of tourists seen in previous years. (Supplied: Finke Desert Race)
Having a major film production based in Alice Springs not only supported the local screen industry but also brought economic benefits to local businesses.
“You need people to build sets; you’re also going to need motorbikes; you’re going to need accommodation,” Ms Hughes said.
“There’s a whole infrastructure underneath all of the film production side that will actually benefit many, many businesses, both directly and indirectly.”
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