Deep Fusion Films puts doc about Formula 1 champion James Hunt ...

London-based Deep Fusion Films, the recently launched production company and artificial intelligence (AI) specialist, is producing a feature documentary about British Formula 1 (F1) racing champion James Hunt.

Hunt: We Need to Talk About James (1×90’) will look at the life and legacy of the man who helped define the glamour and danger of F1, both on and off the track. Deep Fusion has entered into an exclusive partnership with the James Hunt Estate on production of the film.

Hunt’s seven-year F1 racing career peaked when he clinched the 1976 World Championship in the final race in one of the sport’s most dramatic seasons.

Hunt’s well-publicised reputation as a playboy and adrenaline junkie made him popular with the public and ensured a constant stream of sensational headlines. However, his behaviour went down less well with the racing establishment, who accused him of bringing the sport into disrepute.

The film, shot mostly on location in the UK, will feature unseen interviews with F1 legends Niki Lauda and Mika Hakkinen and will be produced by Deep Fusion co-founder Benjamin Field, Jamie Anderson and Freddie Hunt. Richard Wiseman is attached as archive producer.

Field’s track record in feature biopics includes the recent film about legendary Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, who was responsible for some of the UK’s most popular children’s TV shows of the 1960s.

In Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted (Britbox UK/Abacus Media Rights), deep-fake technology was used to ‘ethically’ repurpose intimate audio archive footage and bring Anderson back to the screen to discuss his life and career.