Tom Holland and Austin Butler will star in American Speed, an MGM Studios film that Amazon has acquired following a fierce bidding war. Holland and Butler, among others, will star in the film, which Oscar-winning Charles Roven of Atlas Entertainment (Oppenheimer) is producing. RD Whittington and Douglas Banker will also serve as producers, with Ryan Sanak from Atlas as executive producer.

As reported by Deadline, the film centers around the 1980s racing scandal. Dan Wiedenhaupt is writing the script, inspired by the lives of the Whittington brothers, who were renowned race car drivers during the 1980s. The Whittingtons were skilled racers, but Donald and Bill Whittington became embroiled in controversy when several racers were accused of conducting illegal activities such as drug smuggling, tax evasion, etc. to support their racing careers. 

The story of the Whittington brothers, peas in a pod in the world of racing, with the film tentatively titled American Speed, is set for release in January 2026. The film seemingly deals with all the drama during the brothers’ start to success who dominated the race car drivers’ scene.

California-born racing brothers Donald, Bill, and Dale Whittington began contesting races in the late 1970s and early 1980s with great success. However, the brothers were dragged into a notoriety scandal regarding illegal solicitation of foreign money to fund their car racing careers, with drug smuggling and tax evasion as the primary sources of funding.