Combining non-stop automotive thrills with the widescreen desert settings of David Lean, Standard 8 Releasing is in production on the landmark action adventure, “The Last Road Trip: Paris to Dakar.” The big screen epic will be the first of its kind, and will focus on several teams of bold adventurers who attempt to complete the world's most famous rally, a race followed passionately by several hundred million fans throughout Europe and Asia each year. The feature film will showcase spectacular cinematography punctuated by intense action, and the mystique of the Lone Rider in the desert as epitomized by racing compatriots Thierry Sabine and Hubert Auriol.

The Paris to Dakar is the world's most famous rally. Fans from 156 countries tune in to view it every year, and automobile companies from the United States, Europe and Asia invest millions annually to compete. Founded in 1979 by Sabine after racing through the desert on a single motorcycle, the race has grown to include hundreds of entrants each year who compete by truck, car or motorcycle. Traditionally beginning the first week of January, the race continues over three weeks and 6,000 miles as the entire convoy idles through France and Spain before letting it rip across the desert sands of Morocco, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. The exact route is constantly subject to change due to the intense volatility of the region, but somehow the violent threat of local mercenaries only adds to the rally's lore.

The Last Road Trip: Paris to Dakar is targeted at more than The Fast and The Furious crowd. In the U.S. alone there are 75 million Americans who follow motor sports, 60 million homes that receive SpeedTV, 30 million people who play PS2 racing games, and millions more who attend blockbuster action movies, very few of whom have ever been exposed to the magic of the Dakar rally on the big screen. With IMAX movies pulling in substantial per-screen numbers on very few screens, it is inevitable that event films of the future will provide a high-quality cinematic adrenaline rush to the multiplexes.

With secondary footage currently being shot, principal photography commences the last week of December 2003, as the race begins at the Eiffel Tower and continues over three weeks and 6,000 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. The exact route is subject to change due to the intense volatility of the region.

Faced with such overwhelming obstacles as sandstorms, searing heat, deadly land mines, and desert mercenaries, the competitors have one goal: Arrive alive.

For more information and to see preview clips, vist: www.thelastroadtrip.com