Coming Soon: A Film About Ralf Schumacher

In an interview with the German magazine Kino, specialized in the seventh art, Oliver Hirschbiegel, director of the film Downfall in 2004, outlined the plans for a film project about the life of Ralf Schumacher: « I am not a big fan of Formula One, and to be honest, I only watched my first Grand Prix in 2010, but when I attended the presentation of the film ‘Senna’ at the Leipzig International Documentary and Animation Film Festival, I was fascinated. I had no idea that a film about an athlete could attract me so much. »

However, Ralf Schumacher’s choice is surprising, as Germany does not lack potential film subjects: Yes, I could have covered Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel, but I feel that everything has already been said about them and there is not enough distance yet. When I really started to get interested in the topic, I was initially directed towards the story of Wolfgang Von Trips, but I wasn’t very convinced. It was finally a Formula One enthusiast friend who, having heard about my project, suggested the name of Ralf Schumacher to me last summer. I quickly found that the story of this driver condemned to live in the shadow of his brother was fascinating. It’s also a way to address the life of Michael Schumacher, but from a different and, to my eyes, much more relevant angle.

But Oliver Hirschbiegel, who assures that the script, entrusted to Bernd Eichinger, is about to be completed, wants to reassure Formula One fans: « Even if I want to focus on the human and psychological dimension of Ralf Schumacher facing the heavy shadow of his brother, it will be a true Formula One film, and we will strive to capture the lively atmosphere of the Grand Prix: we are currently in negotiations with the rights holders [editor’s note: Bernie Ecclestone] to see what possibilities are available. » The German director explains that he would like to be able to directly use FOM footage: « A film about F1 requires a significant budget, especially when, like Ralf Schumacher, the main character has been involved in sometimes spectacular accidents. I am thinking in particular of his accident in Indianapolis: reproducing it is simply impossible, and we must therefore find a solution to use the real footage so that this film is not the most expensive in the history of German cinema. »

The director of *Downfall* and more recently *Invasion*, also states that he does not wish to speak with Ralf Schumacher, who has nevertheless given his approval for the project: « I wish to remain neutral. We are delighted that Ralf has given us carte blanche, but it is important for us to tell our own story and not the one that Ralf might possibly want us to tell; besides, he hasn’t expressed any desire to share his version with us. In our research work and for writing the screenplay, we called upon knowledgeable observers of Formula One, among whom were Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart, who have been of invaluable help and have allowed us to gain perspective on this story. »

The fact remains that, while the project seems well advanced in Germany, its future is still subject to the approval of Bernie Ecclestone, which will not prevent Oliver Hirschbiegel from exploiting his screenplay: « If the rights holders refuse to support our project, nothing prevents us from revising the screenplay to tell the story of a random driver engaged in a fictitious championship and confronted with the shadow of his champion brother, without any reference to F1 and the Schumacher brothers. But we really hope that the FOM will support us. »

Invited by Bild, upon his return from Malaysia, to comment on this film project about the life of his younger brother, Michael Schumacher simply stated that he had always been certain that Ralf’s life would make a very good film and that he would go see it with pleasure.

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