Infinity Media, the production company behind some movie
about Truman
Capote, have lined up their next project, which is also based on a real-life figure. Entitled Mike the Bike
(not to be confused with Eddie the Eagle), the movie is about a British motorcycle deity named Mike Hailwood, who "won the World Championship 10 times in
the 1960s and '70s" and even drove some Formula 1 before a crippling accident forced him into retirement. During
his career, he earned England's highest medal for civilian bravery when he rescued a fellow driver from "a fiery
crash." (Just an aside here: Europe loves them some motor sports, particularly motorcycle racing and Formula 1. I
think we're missing something.) Writer Paul
Pender, who just recently acquired Hailwood's life rights from his widow, was responsible for bringing the project
to Infinity.Though it's too early to even guess how successful they will be, Infinity should be applauded for their stated goal of finding intelligent projects with "broad international appeal." It's very easy to make crap with big stars that you know will sell overseas because of the names involved, but there's something of an art to choose films of quality that will actually interest people on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, when Mike the Bike bombs over here, Infinity's best intentions might quickly go by the wayside in favor of Bruce Willis action flicks.
