AFM: Ansel Elgort Boards Bear Grylls-Produced Survival Thriller ‘Faster Than Horses’

Baby Driver and Tokyo Vice actor Ansel Elgort has signed on to star as a marathon runner caught in a battle for his life in in Faster Than Horses, a survival thriller from documentary filmmaker James Erskine (Billie, The End of the Storm) and produced by survival expert Bear Grylls.

The feature, inspired by a true story and based on an article by Hampton Sides, follows a former Olympic runner who attempts a return to glory in the world’s toughest footrace, the Marathon des Sables, a series of back-to-back marathons across the Sahara Desert. When a devastating sandstorm engulfs the race, he finds himself lost in the Sahara Desert and locked in a ten-day battle for survival.

Faster Than Horses is currently in pre-production. Upgrade Productions, which is handling international sales, will pitch the project to international buyers at the American Film Market in Las Vegas next week. CAA Media Finance is repping North American rights.

Erskine co-wrote the script for Faster Than Horses with Michael Mul and Chris Mul. Grylls is producing through his The Natural Studios outfit alongside Delbert Shoopman, Ben Grass and Michael Pugliese of Running Tiger Films, and Stuart Sutherland of Celtic Arabia. Jonathan Kier and Matt Brodlie from Upgrade will serve as executive producers.

“Since first hearing this story, I’ve been mesmerized by it and am thrilled to now be bringing it to screen,” said Erskine in a statement, calling the project “a powerful story of struggle and redemption set against some of the most dramatic landscapes on earth.”

“I’ve known this story for many years and am so excited to be part of the team bringing it to life,” Bear Grylls said in a statement. “Ansel’s portrayal of a man fighting against impossible odds to survive, both physically and emotionally, will grip audiences…The story is mind-blowing.”

Ansel is repped by CAA, Brookside Artist Management and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich, Goodell & Gellman. Delbert Shoopman and Bear Grylls are all represented by CAA. James is represented by Curtis Brown and CAA.