Star of Upcoming Edge-of-Your-Seat Thriller, Unhinged, to Give Command for Drivers to “Start Your Engines” for Anticipated NASCAR Xfinity Series Race
Talladega, Ala. – Academy Award© winner Russell Crowe, star of the upcoming edge-of-your-seat thriller, Unhinged, will serve as the Grand Marshal for the UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA NASCAR Xfinity Series race at historical Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, June 20.
Crowe will give the command for drivers to “Start Your Engines” for the UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA, which is set for the green flag at 4:30 PM CDT. Just a week ago, NASCAR, Talladega Superspeedway and Solstice Studios announced the new race entitlement for the UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA.
Unhinged, opening in theatres nationwide on Saturday, July 10th, is one of the first new films to debut since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the partnership with NASCAR’s biggest and most competitive venue, Solstice Studios will also activate at other NASCAR properties, including Motor Racing Network (MRN) and NASCAR Digital Media, as well as FOX.
Unhinged is a timely action-packed psychological thriller that takes something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to work when she has an altercation at a traffic light with a stranger (Crowe) whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible. Soon, Rachel finds herself, and everyone she loves, the target of a man who decides to make one last mark upon the world by teaching her a series of deadly lessons. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse that proves you never know just how close you are to someone who is about to become unhinged. Directed by Derrick Borte, the film stars Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson, and Austin P. McKenzie. The Unhinged trailer can be found here: https://www.unhingedmovie.com/
When Crowe first read the script for Unhinged, his instinctive response was: “Absolutely not. I’m not doing this movie, it scares (the #&%$) out of me, this character is intensely dark…and when I heard that come out of my mouth, I was like, since when did I stop doing that? Cause that’s basically what I look for. I look for challenges.”
Crowe, born in New Zealand but raised in Australia, is regarded as one of the finest actors of our time. Many of his acting honors include three consecutive Best Actor Oscar® nominations for his work in the acclaimed 1999 drama The Insider; 2000 Best Picture winner, Gladiator, for which he took home the Oscar®; and in Best Picture winner, A Beautiful Mind in 2001.
Like Unhinged, racing at Talladega Superspeedway is intense, pushes drivers to the limit, and is definitely a challenge. After all, it’s the greatest race track in the world at an amazing 2.66 miles with banking of 33 degrees in the turns. The track, built in 1969, has held NASCAR Xfinity Series since 1992, providing some of the closest finishes in the sport’s history, including Terry Labonte’s win in 1999 by .002 second. This year’s UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA will again be a part of the special Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus-money program for Xfinity Series regular drivers. Chase Briscoe, Brandon Jones, Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger will vie for the extra cash as well as their first Talladega triumph.
The UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA will be the second race at the iconic venue on Saturday, June 20. Earlier in the day, at 1 PM CDT, the General Tire 200 for the ARCA Menards Series will take the green flag. Both events will compete without fans in attendance, but again, will be broadcast LIVE on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.About Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway – which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year – is the most competitive race track on the NASCAR schedule (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), the highest-banked (33 degrees) and the longest (2.66 miles), as well as the most fun and fan-friendly. Three- and four-wide racing at 200 mph are a norm at Talladega Superspeedway, along with nail-biting, photo finishes. For information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.
About Solstice Studios
Solstice Studios is an independent movie company based in Los Angeles, founded in October 2018. The studio develops, fully finances, produces, sells internationally and distributes feature films in the U.S. on a wide-release basis. Solstice plans to produce 3-5 movies per year for a global audience—generally in the $20-80M budget range. It also plans to co-finance or acquire another 1-2 films per year for wide US distribution. The company has a partnership with Ingenious Media.
The Solstice team has a $5 billion production track record and is expected to grow to 65 people. The company’s senior team includes President & CEO Mark Gill, Head of Production Lisa Ellzey, Co-Production Head Guy Botham, Marketing/Strategy Head Vincent Bruzzese, Acquisitions & International Head Crystal Bourbeau, Head of Physical Production Dana Belcastro, Business & Legal Affairs Head Karen Barna, Chief Financial Officer Shaun Williams and Head of US Distribution Shari Hardison.
