Tom Holland to star in a film about the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

After Le Mans 66 (Ford v Ferrari in the original version) by James Mangold, released in 2019, the 24 Hours of Le Mans could once again be put in the spotlight by American cinema. In recent weeks, rumors have been circulating about a possible adaptation of the story of the Whittington brothers, winners of the Le Mans classic in 1979 and involved in drug trafficking stories.

Deadline, an American website specializing in cinema and entertainment news, indicated at the beginning of November that the rights to this film, whose name would be American Speed, were reportedly purchased by Amazon. The two leading actors are said to be already known, as the film would capitalize on the rising fame of Tom Holland (known for playing Spider-Man since 2016) and Austin Butler (who played Elvis in the biopic of the same name released in 2022 and more recently in Dune, part twoTheir roles have not been announced, but they are likely to play brothers Bill and Don Whittington, winners of the 24 1979 Hours of Le Mans in a Porsche 935 K3 with the German Klaus Ludwig.

Beyond their victory in Sarthe, the two brothers were involved in the drug smuggling scandal that hit theIMSA in the 1980s. Several drivers of the era financed their careers in this way, the most famous being Randy Lanier. MSA GTP champion in 1984 with a team he owned with the Whittington brothers, best rookie of the year in 1986 at the Indianapolis 500 miles (9th), Lanier subsequently spent 26 years in prison for his crimes. He was arrested a few months after his performance at Indianapolis following the testimony of Bill Whittington, apprehended a week before the tests of the American classic. Bill and his brother Don pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy to smuggle marijuana into the United States from Colombia.

Charles Roven, producer ofOppenheimer, and RD Whittington, son of Dale (the third brother in the family with Bill and Don), are said to be producing. The director is not yet known. It has not been specified whether the film will be released in theaters or if it will only be visible on Amazon's streaming platform, Prime Video.

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