I think I’m going to write a book or screenplay about a dog. It seems that all you need to do is put a pooch in something and Hollywood goes mental for it. The latest news on the doggy movie front is that Patrick Dempsey has signed up to star in The Art Of Racing In The Rain, based on the novel by Garth Stein.
While a title like that might not sound very canine, it’s actually narrated by a dog called Enzo, who has a near human soul and a philosopher’s mind. The dog reminisces on his life as a family pet and the lessons learned by his owner, race-car driver Denny Swift (Dempsey). Call me a heartless heathen, but I’m cringing already.
Slightly oddly the movie is being produced by Starbucks, which has previously had the Art Of Racing book as their spring/summer book selection in 2008. It’ll be the Coffee Chain’s third movie after Akeelah And The Bee and Arctic Tale.
Dempsey’s a good choice for the role as he’s a real life racer, who’s finished ninth at Le Mans and who even has his own racing team, Dempsey Racing.
At the moment no director has been announced for The Art Of Racing In The Rain and there’s no news on when we might be seeing the movie in cinemas.