Alan Ritchson Is Preparing a MotoGP Movie in the Fast & Furious Vein

Industrial cinema rarely changes engines: it prefers to replace the bodywork, update the cast and put a proven formula back on the road.

That is why Netflix has turned to Alan Ritchson and Chris Morgan, the screenwriter behind seven installments of Fast & Furious, for a thriller set in the world of MotoGP:

“A gang of motorcycle-riding thieves begins stealing priceless antiquities around the world. Interpol recruits a former MotoGP prodigy, played by Alan Ritchson, to catch them. During the investigation, he discovers that the gang’s leader may be his younger brother, long believed to be dead”.

Alan Ritchson’s Netflix Deal After War Machine

The thriller will mark the first film under the new first-look agreement between Netflix and Dancing Skeleton, the company founded by Ritchson to develop original projects for film and television, with a particular focus on large-scale, mainstream productions.

The groundwork was laid by the success of War Machine. The film, released on Netflix in March, racked up 139.9 million views in its first 91 days, reaching tenth place on the service’s list of its most popular films of all time. A sequel is also already reported to be in development.

Ritchson will star and produce, while the director, shooting schedule and release date have yet to be announced. MotoGP will serve as a consultant during development, while no real-life riders, circuits or races are currently confirmed to be involved.

The screenplay is being written by Chris Morgan, who has worked on the Fast & Furious franchise since 2006 and helped shape its mix of chases, heists and criminals transformed into allies. Ainsley Morgan, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum are also producing; Kirschenbaum, then a Universal executive, helped oversee the franchise’s revival. Ritchson has already joined the series himself, playing Aimes in Fast X.

From Maelstrom to a New Survival Reality Series

The MotoGP thriller is not the only project tying Ritchson to the platform. The actor will also star in Maelstrom, a new action film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously made Carry-On for Netflix. Ritchson will play a federal agent assigned to protect the girlfriend of an arms dealer. A hurricane traps them together just as a team of mercenaries prepares to attack.

Ritchson will also front an as-yet-untitled competitive survival series, produced with Bunim/Murray Productions. Netflix therefore appears determined to deploy him on every front: action cinema, producing and unscripted entertainment.

Rather than simply acquiring individual projects, Netflix therefore seems intent on turning Ritchson into an in-house brand: action hero, producer and a face that can also be used in unscripted entertainment. What remains to be seen is whether this simultaneous push across different formats will build a genuine production identity or merely create another fast lane within the platform’s algorithm.