Ron Howard says that he was 'knocked out' when he read the screenplay for Rush.
The movie is a biography of Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda that looks at the clash that almost claimed his life and the rivalry with James Hunt.
And while Howard admits that he didn't know too much about the sport or the people in it it was the story and the characters that really drew him in.
Speaking to Eddie Jordan during the BBC's coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix over the weekend he said: "The characters offer so many surprises.
"It's a great screenplay, when I read it I didn't know very much about Formula 1 or these guys, and I was just knocked out by the script by Peter Morgan. He's great. We did Frost/Nixon together. He also did The Queen. He's a great writer.
"With those kind of characters, you get drama, you get surprises and then, of course, there's this unbelievably cinematic possibility, which is capturing your world, capturing Formula 1 - particularly in the '70s, which was a pretty reckless, sexy time."
Daniel Bruhl will take on the role of Lauda while Chris Hemsworth is set to play Hunt - Olivia Wilde and Natalie Dormer are also on the cast list.
Rush will be the first movie for Howard since comedy The Dilemma back in 2011.
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