'Rush': Exclusive Photos of Ron Howard, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl

Howard, Bruhl and Hemsworth

On Sept. 8, Howard will be at the Toronto Film Festival for the North American premiere of Rush, a period piece recounting the rivalry between British bad boy James Hunt and exacting Austrian Niki Lauda for the 1976 F1 championship (the movie opens in New York and Los Angeles on Sept. 20 before expanding nationwide a week later). The film, featuring Australian heartthrob Chris Hemsworth and German-Spanish actor Daniel Bruhl, is an incredible gamble in the U.S., where F1, like soccer, never has caught on.

Chris Hemsworth

Hemsworth was shooting The Avengers in 2011 when he made his audition tape for Rush. "It came at the perfect time for me as far as the hunger and desire for what I wanted to do," says Hemsworth. "The story spoke to me on a few levels. However outrageous Hunt was, his willingness to stay true to himself and not conform to some standard or be packaged in a neat little box by the sponsors was intriguing. His message was, 'If I'm not having fun, what the hell is the point?' It's not a bad rule to live by."

Daniel Bruhl

"What's fascinating about Ron, and I've told him this, is that he's tried to explore every genre," says Bruhl, known best to American audiences for playing a Nazi in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. And, even though Tarantino and Howard are vastly different men -- "one is big and loud, the other is small and quiet" -- the directors share a hunger to range all over the cinematic map: "Ron's done everything -- comedy, drama, Westerns, science fiction, whatever. He likes constant adventure."

Ron Howard

Howard isn't bitter for having to go outside the studio system to make Rush and is cautiously optimistic about its chances with American moviegoers. "I don't think I've ever made a movie that surprises audiences as much as this one does," says Howard of test screenings in the U.S. "People who love motor sports are surprised it is as authentic and intense and effective as it is. People who don't know much about the sport find it sexier and more engaging and emotional than they thought it would be. It's a marketing challenge for Universal, but I think they are doing a great job."

'Rush' Cast

From left: Daniel Bruhl, Chris Hemsworth and director Ron Howard were photographed Sept. 1 at the Corinthia Hotel in London.

Says Howard’s Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer: "We've never made an independent film before Rush. Our whole lives have been making studio films, beginning with Night Shift and Splash. So I was nervous about the pieces coming together, and the financing implications."