Stephen Nemeth and Robin Broidy have acquired the life-story rights to drag racing rivals Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen for the feature biopic Snake and Mongoose.  McEwen initiated the rivalry in 1964 by adopting the complementary nickname "The Mongoose" to entice Prudhomme, already known as "The Snake," into a high profile match race.  The duo revolutionized professional drag racing in 1970 when they set up their own Snake and Mongoose Hot Wheels at Mattel.  The toy company turned Hot Wheels, then just two years old, into the sport's first major corporate sponsor.

Variety reports Wayne Holloway will direct from a script by Alan Paradise -- Snake and Mongoose is the first feature credit for both Holloway, a commercial director, and Paradise.  As part of the deal, Nemeth and Broidy obtained access to archival footage from the National Hot Rod Association.