The Death Race series is a car combat franchise encompassing a series of films and other media centered on a reality show set in a prison, where inmates race against each other in order to win their freedom.
The Death Race series is a car combat franchise encompassing a series of films and other media centered on a reality show set in a prison, where inmates race against each other in order to win their freedom.
Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film. In the near future, the ultimate sporting event is the Death Race. Contestants score points for running people down as they speed across the country. The sport has crazed fans who sacrifice themselves to the drivers. A covert group is trying to bring an end to the immoral Death Race and has infiltrated one of their followers into the race as a navigator of the top driver. In the end, the lives of the competitors, the President and the Death Race itself are in peril.
The screenplay was based on the short story "The Racer" by Ib Melchior. [1]
Death Race is a 2008 reboot of Death Race 2000. Director Paul W. S. Anderson stated in the DVD commentary that he thought of the film as a prequel. In the year 2012, the economy of the US collapses, causing unemployment and crime rates to skyrocket, and a sharp increase of convicted criminals, which leads to privatized prisons for profit. In 2020, Claire Hennessey (Joan Allen), the warden of Terminal Island Penitentiary, earns profits from the pay-per-view broadcast of a modern gladiator game called the "Death Race", with the prisoners as the players. The racers, along with their navigators, drive a three-part race over three days on a closed track at Terminal Island, with various pressure plates: swords activate the racers' offensive weapons, shields activate defensive weapons such as oil, smoke, and napalm, and skulls ("Death Heads") activate deadly metal traps which rise up from the track. The reward for the drivers is that if one racer wins five races, they will be granted their freedom by Warden Hennessey. [2]
Death Race 2 is a prequel to the 2008 film Death Race. Getaway driver Carl "Luke" Lucas (Luke Goss) is arrested after a robbery for his crime boss Markus Kane (Sean Bean) goes wrong. As his accomplices are robbing the bank, two police officers casually enter the building. Luke tells his accomplices to abort, but they refuse; Luke intervenes, resulting in the death of one of the three accomplices. Luke shoots and kills one of the officers and dumps off his accomplices in order to fulfill Markus's wishes. In doing so, Luke is eventually captured by the police following a high-speed chase and sentenced to serve time on Terminal Island. Markus, worried that Luke will trade info on his crimes for immunity, discovers his location and orders his men to take Luke out.
Death Race owner R. H. Weyland (Ving Rhames) has been forced to sell the rights to Niles York (Dougray Scott), a British billionaire who acquired the rights by hostile takeover. York reveals that he intends to relocate the Death Race to the deserts of Africa. Before leaving, Weyland arranges Lucas to have surgery to heal the infected and deadly scars on his face sustained from the previous film Death Race 2. With Carl Lucas, a.k.a. Frankenstein (Luke Goss), one win away from gaining his freedom, York coaches Lucas to lose his race and threatens his life if he fails to comply.
Corman made Death Race 2050 , a sequel to his original film, shooting in Peru starting in February 2016. It stars Malcolm McDowell, Manu Bennett, Burt Grinstead, Marci Miller, Folake Olowofoyeku, Anessa Ramsey, Yancy Butler, and Charlie Farrell, and was directed by G. J. Echternkamp. [3] The film was released in the United States on DVD and DVD/Blu-ray combo on Jan 17, 2017, with three making-of documentaries: The Making of 2050, Cars! Cars! Cars!, and The Look of 2050. [4]
Death Race: Beyond Anarchy is a sequel to the 2008 film Death Race, directed by Don Michael Paul and features the return of Danny Trejo and Frederick Koehler. It also stars Zach McGowan, Christine Marzano, Danny Glover, and Lorina Kamburova. [5] [6]
| Character | Original series | Remake series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death Race 2000 | Death Race 2050 | Death Race | Death Race 2 | Death Race 3: Inferno | Death Race: Beyond Anarchy | |||
| 1975 | 2017 | 2008 | 2010 | 2013 | 2018 | |||
| "Frankenstein" | David Carradine | Manu Bennett | Jason Statham David Carradine (voice-over) | Luke Goss | Luke Goss Dougray Scott | Velislav Pavlov Nolan North (voice-over) | ||
| Annie Smith | Simone Griffeth | Marci Miller | ||||||
| Joe "Machine Gun" Viterbo | Sylvester Stallone | |||||||
| Mr. President | Sandy McCallum | Malcolm McDowell | ||||||
| Myra | Louisa Moritz | |||||||
| Jed Perfectus | Burt Grinstead | |||||||
| Minerva Jefferson | Folake Olowofoyeku | |||||||
| Tammy | Anessa Ramsey | |||||||
| Alexis Hamilton | Yancy Butler | |||||||
| J.B. | Charlie Farrell | |||||||
| Grace Tickle | Shanna Olson [7] | |||||||
| The Commercial | Dick Ervasti (voice) | |||||||
| "Lists" | Frederick Koehler | |||||||
| "14K" | Robin Shou | |||||||
| Jensen Ames | Jason Statham | |||||||
| Claire Hennessey | Joan Allen | Photograph | Archive footage | |||||
| Joe "Machine Gun Joe" Mason | Tyrese Gibson | |||||||
| "Coach" | Ian McShane | Photograph | ||||||
| Case | Natalie Martinez | |||||||
| Gunner | Jacob Vargas | |||||||
| Ulrich | Jason Clarke | |||||||
| Slovo Pachenko | Max Ryan | |||||||
| Hector "The Grim Reaper" Grimm | Robert LaSardo | |||||||
| Travis Colt | Justin Mader | |||||||
| Niles York | David Carradine | Dougray Scott | ||||||
| Carl "Luke" Lucas | Luke Goss | |||||||
| Katrina Banks | Tanit Phoenix | |||||||
| Goldberg | Danny Trejo | |||||||
| R. H. Weyland | Ving Rhames | |||||||
| September Jones | Lauren Cohan | |||||||
| Markus Kane | Sean Bean | |||||||
| Bill 'Big Bill' | Deobia Oparei | |||||||
| Medford Parks | Patrick Lyster | |||||||
| Rocco | Joe Vaz | |||||||
| Xander Grady | Henie Bosman | |||||||
| Calin | Warrick Grier | |||||||
| Billy 'Hillbilly' Hill | Sean Higgs | |||||||
| "Apache" | Chase Armitage | |||||||
| "Sheik" | Michael Solomon | |||||||
| "Scarface" | Trayan Milenov-Troy | |||||||
| Satana | Hlubi Mboya | |||||||
| "Razor" | Bart Fouche | |||||||
| "Psycho" | Jeremy Crutchley | |||||||
| Nero | Eugene Khumbanyiwa | |||||||
| Olga Braun | Michelle van Schaik | |||||||
| "Joker" | Mark Elderkin | |||||||
| "Pretty Boy" | Brandon Livanos | |||||||
| "Jackal" | Anton David Jeftha | |||||||
| Connor Gibson | Zach McGowan | |||||||
| Bob "Baltimore Bob" | Danny Glover | |||||||
| Jane | Christine Marzano | |||||||
| Rose 'Gypsy Rose' | Yennis Cheung | |||||||
| Bexie | Cassie Clare | |||||||
| Carley | Lucy Aarden | |||||||
| Mr. Valentine | Terence Maynard | |||||||
| The Warden | Cameron Jack | |||||||
| Role | Film | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original series | Remake series | |||||
| Death Race 2000 | Death Race 2050 | Death Race | Death Race 2 | Death Race 3: Inferno | Death Race: Beyond Anarchy | |
| 1975 | 2017 | 2008 | 2010 | 2013 | 2018 | |
| Director | Paul Bartel | G. J. Echternkamp | Paul W. S. Anderson | Roel Reiné | Don Michael Paul | |
| Screenwriter(s) | Robert Thom Charles Griffith | G. J. Echternkamp Matt Yamashita | Tony Giglio | Tony Giglio Don Michael Paul | ||
| Story by | Paul W. S. Anderson Tony Giglio | |||||
| Producer(s) | Roger Corman Jim Weatherill | Roger Corman | Paul W. S. Anderson Jeremy Bolt Roger Corman Paula Wagner | Paul W. S. Anderson Jeremy Bolt Mike Elliott | Mike Elliott Greg Holstein | |
| Composer | Paul Chihara | Gunter Brown Cindy Brown | Paul Haslinger | Trevor Morris | Frederik Wiedmann | |
| Director(s) of photography | Tak Fujimoto | Juan Durán | Scott Kevan | John McKay | Wayne Shields | Alexander Krumov |
| Editor(s) | Tina Hirsch | G. J. Echternkamp Steve Ansell | Niven Howie | Radu Ion Herman P. Koerts | Michael Trent Radu Ion | Vanick Moradian |
| Production companies | N/A | Universal 1440 Entertainment New Horizons Pictures | Relativity Media Cruise/Wagner Productions Impact Pictures | N/A | Universal 1440 Entertainment | |
| Distributor | New World Pictures | Universal Studios Home Entertainment | Universal Pictures | Universal Studios Home Entertainment | ||
Deathsport is a 1978 science fiction B-movie produced by Roger Corman, directed by Allan Arkush and Nicholas Niciphor.
A comic book sequel series titled Death Race 2020 was published in April–November 1995 by Roger Corman's short-lived Roger Corman's Cosmic Comics imprint. It was written by Pat Mills of 2000 AD fame, with art by Kevin O'Neill. The pair had already worked together on several comics, including Marshal Law . The comic book series, as the title indicates, takes place 20 years after the film ended and deals with Frankenstein's return to the race. New racers introduced here included Von Dutch, the Alcoholic, Happy the Clown, Steppenwolf, Rick Rhesus and Harry Carrie.
The comic book series lasted eight issues before being cancelled and the story was left unfinished at the end.
In Death Race 2 (2010) and Death Race 3: Inferno (2013), the character R. H. Weyland (played by Ving Rhames), is the founder of the Weyland Corporation, the company who owns the Terminal Island Penitentiary from the 2008 film. [9] The company is mentioned in the remake series, [10] [11] an allusion to the Alien franchise (despite the involvement of Paul W. S. Anderson, who is the director of Alien vs. Predator (2004), who also directed Death Race and co-wrote the 2008 film's prequels and its 2018 sequel Death Race: Beyond Anarchy ). [12]
The 2017 TV show Blood Drive also draws from the Death Race series. Instead of killing people to earn points, people are sacrificed to the cars' engines, which have been modified to run off human blood. [13]
Roger William Corman is an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are low-budget cult films including some which are adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen from a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, based on the Vibe magazine article "Racer X" by Ken Li. The first installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, it stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. In the film, Brian O'Conner (Walker), an LAPD officer, goes undercover in the street racing world to investigate a group of unknown hijackers, believed to be led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel).
The Fast and the Furious is a 1954 American crime drama B movie starring John Ireland and Dorothy Malone, co-directed by Ireland and Edward Sampson.
Irving Rameses Rhames is an American actor. He is known for his roles as IMF Agent Luther Stickell in all Mission: Impossible films (1996–present) and gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994).
Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment. The screenplay is based on the short story The Racer by Ib Melchior.
The Car is a 1977 American supernatural horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate. The film stars James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley and Ronny Cox, along with real-life sisters Kim and Kyle Richards. It tells the story of a black unmanned self-driving mysterious car that goes on a murderous rampage, terrorizing the residents of a small town.
Charles Byron Griffith was an American screenwriter, actor, and film director. He was the son of Donna Dameral, radio star of Myrt and Marge, along with Charles' grandmother, Myrtle Vail, and was best known for writing Roger Corman productions such as A Bucket of Blood (1959), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), and Death Race 2000 (1975).
Piranha is a horror film series that consists of five films. The original film is a parody of the 1975 film Jaws.
Death Race is a 2008 dystopian action thriller film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It stars Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, and Joan Allen.
Fast & Furious, (also known as The Fast and the Furious, is an American media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a television series, toys, video games, live shows, and theme park attractions. The films are distributed by Universal Pictures.
The Young Racers is a 1963 sports drama film directed by Roger Corman and starring Mark Damon, William Campbell, Luana Anders and Patrick Magee. It is based on the Formula One races in Europe.
Death Race 2 is a 2010 American science fiction action film directed by Roel Reiné, written by Tony Giglio and Paul W. S. Anderson. It is the second installment in the Death Race film series. The film serves as a prequel to Death Race (2008) and was released directly to video on 27 December 2010. The film is followed by a sequel Death Race 3: Inferno (2013)
Death Race 3: Inferno is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by Roel Reiné. It is the third installment in the Death Race film series and takes place between the events of Death Race 2 (2010) and Death Race (2008). The film was released direct-to-video on January 22, 2013.
Mike Elliott is an American film producer, film director and writer. He has produced or co-produced over 100 films, with a special focus on direct-to-video sequels.
The Wild Racers is a 1968 American film directed by Daniel Haller and starring Fabian, Mimsy Farmer, and Judy Cornwell. The screenplay concerns a Grand Prix racing car driver.
Frankenstein is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Death Race franchise. Within the film universe, the character is an alias taken on by other characters who participate in the titular race. The character has been played by David Carradine, Jason Statham, Luke Goss, Dougray Scott, Manu Bennett, and Velislav Pavlov.
Death Race may refer to:
Tanya van Graan is a South African actress, singer and model. She is known for her roles in Zulu and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, and for being FHM's Sexiest Woman at the 2007 FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World bash held in Johannesburg.
Death Race 2050 is a 2017 American political satire action direct-to-video film directed by G.J. Echternkamp, and starring Manu Bennett, Marci Miller and Malcolm McDowell. It is a sequel to the 1975 film Death Race 2000. Both films were produced by Roger Corman, who described the film as "a car-racing picture with some black humor."
