Secretariat movie image Diane Lane, John Malkovich slice (2).jpg

Walt Disney has released three high resolution images from their upcoming horse racing "drama" Secretariat.  Since anyone who follows horse racing or watches ESPN knows the story of Secretariat (spoiler alert: he was the last Triple Crown winner back in 1973), I don't know how this is a drama as it looks like a made for TV movie with great actors and a higher budget.  But Disney knows how to sell ice to Eskimos, so I'm sure by October I'll want to check it out.  Hit the jump for the images and the info on the movie:

 

Based on the impossible true story, SECRETARIAT chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.  Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (DIANE LANE) agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge.  Against all odds, Chenery-with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (JOHN MALKOVICH)-manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

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SECRETARIAT

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

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Genre:  Drama

Rating: TBD

U.S. Release Date: October 8, 2010

Cast:  Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, Scott Glenn, Dylan Baker, Margo Martindale, Nelsan Ellis, Otto Thorwarth, Fred Thompson, AJ Michalka, Kevin Connolly, Eric Lange, James Cromwell

Director: Randall Wallace

Producers:  Mark Ciardi & Gordon Gray

Executive Producers: William Johnson, Mike Rich

Screenplay by: Mike Rich (writing credit not final)

Suggested by the book: "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion" by William Nack

Based on the impossible true story, SECRETARIAT chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.  Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (DIANE LANE) agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge.  Against all odds, Chenery-with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (JOHN MALKOVICH)-manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

Notes:

  • In 1973, Secretariat became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting race records that still stand today in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.
  • Penny Chenery, now 87, is an integral resource in the making of the film.  She also appears as an extra in one of the film's scenes.
  • In 1973, Secretariat graced the covers of three magazines the same week:  Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated.
  • Director Randall Wallace, whose directorial credits include "We Were Soldiers," is the Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-nominated screenwriter of "Braveheart."
  • In 1999, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a 33-cent postage stamp with Secretariat's image.

Against all odds, housewife and mother Penny Chenery (DIANE LANE)-with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (JOHN MALKOVICH)-navigates the male-dominated horseracing business, ultimately taking Secretariat on a spectacular journey to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time.