TMSBrad

DEARBORN, December 6, 2007 -- Exactly one year after an all-new version of the Ford Mondeo was introduced to James Bond fans in the movie Casino Royale, another Ford vehicle is about to get some major screen time in a holiday blockbuster.


Beginning Dec. 14, look for a 2007 Shelby Mustang GT500 — in red with signature white stripes — to chew up the scenery and the streets of New York City in I Am Legend, starring Will Smith.

"There is no doubt that the Shelby Mustang GT500 is the costar of the first part of this story," said Brian Daly of Ford Global Brand Entertainment (FGBE), which places Ford vehicles in movies, TV and other media. "Smith plays the sole survivor of an apocalypse who races around the deserted, gray, empty streets in this fantastic bright red Mustang. The sequences are incredible."

And Daly isn't the only one who thinks so. The movie is already generating buzz on a Los Angeles Times auto blog, where automotive reporter Josh Hancock says, "The shots of the Mustang blasting around totally traffic-free New York will be the envy of every urban driver. I lost myself in that dream just with the sound of that car growling through the city streets."
Daly began talking with Warner Bros. about I Am Legend in the spring of 2006. Thanks to a long working relationship with several studio executives he was able to get a "first look" at the script.

"The producers knew they wanted an American-made vehicle and the Shelby Mustang was perfect casting," he said. "But I also knew Chrysler and GM were making pitches. I kept imagining the folks at Camaro piecing together all kinds of prototypes to get those scenes."

I Am Legend isn't the first movie version of Richard Matheson's classic 1954 science fiction novel to feature a red Ford vehicle. A 1971 adaptation called The Omega Man put Charlton Heston behind the wheel of a bright red 1970 Ford LTD.

But this time around, it's not just a Ford convertible that gets face time. Smith also shares scenes with a Ford Expedition and a Ford Escape Hybrid.

"Getting Ford brand vehicles in movies like I Am Legend works in two ways," said Bob Witter, manager, FGBE. "First, producers know that as the audience recognizes a vehicle they see in real life or have been thinking about, the story becomes more relatable. And second, when our products are on-screen they can engage the viewer in a totally different fashion and help enhance our commercial and marketing investments."

Ford vehicles had a busy year in the movies in 2007, and many of these films are now in the process of being released on DVD. They include The Kingdom, which featured a Range Rover and starred Jamie Foxx; Dan in Real Life, with a Volvo and Steve Carell; Rush Hour 3, with a Jaguar XK and Jackie Chan; and Nancy Drew, which included a Ford Escape and Land Rover LR3 and starred Emma Roberts.

And 2008 is shaping up as another strong year on-screen for Ford. For example, slated for release early next year is Nights in Rodanthe, which pairs Richard Gere with a 2008 Jaguar XK that required some very special attention.

"They wanted the car to match his hair," said Witter. "We delivered a gray Jaguar, but it wasn't the right shade."

To give it just the perfect hue, Witter had the Jaguar XK coated in plastic and repainted. Peel coating is an old ploy in Hollywood, where special colors for vehicles are not unusual requests. Once the project is over, the plastic is removed and the vehicle is back to its original condition.
"It's an amazing trick. Once the plastic is peeled off, you can never tell the car was touched," said Witter. "Eventually those cars are sold at auction. Someone could be out there driving Richard Gere's costar right now and never even know it."

ShowGT

See Ya! I will be there opening night folks!

conv_stang

man, i think ifound me a movie poster! it should definitely be a great movie now! i wanted to see it before i read this article. i didnt even know there was going to be a shelby in the movie

purplepony

Anyone know where that "particular" movie poster is available from?

05stangkc

I did a Websearch and It Stated That Particular Poster was a Fake. I would Love to Have one myself!

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/I-Am-...aked-4197.html

I hope The Guy is wrong!

KC

1 COBRA

My preference would be of the GT500 by the side of the lion while it enjoys its gourmet dinner.

. . . B U R R R P ! ! !

SpencerStangz

I downloaded the preview to this movie a while back on my xbox360 and saw that it had a Shelby in it. And yes the poster is a fake or maybe foreign. Besides the movies comes out 12/14/07 and has been for at least 6 month or so. Either way, I have been inspired since I first saw the list of Mustangs in movies on this site a long time ago. I tired to keep up myself but there are just toooo many!!!!

http://columbuscitystangz.org/forum/...3&page=1&pp=10

Sharp

Picture Cars East was doing stunt tests on the 2008 Mustang Shelby GT500 to test the new car showroom stunt. They had a 27 foot run up to the ramp, and are jumping the Shelby through a plate glass window. In the test they were doing the landing on boxes to not harm the fairly rare car. On the first test they ripped out the radiator, and radiator support. They had to cannibalize a regular Mustang for parts to continue the test.

I found this movie trivia here http://www.scifimoviepage.com/art_iamlegend.html

AWmustang

I didn't think Jaguar was part of the Ford group anymore. Was that just talk that never actually happened?

StangPower05

Just got back from seeing this movie. First off, there were 4 theatre's playing it and they all were sold out, but i managed to get 2 tix. The movie was awesome plus you get to see a outstanding scene with the GT500 blazing throught the streets of NYC!! I recommend this movie to everyone.

backafter20

That scene where he is hunting with a GT500 is pretty cool, and so is the movie, but that is about all you'll see of the car. He has keys to dozens of cars and drives several, so you don't see the Shelby again in the flick. Doesn't follow the book, but good movie anyway.

Hollywood_North GT

Just a dang shame that after all of that, they cut the entire scene.

codeman94

just got home from seeing the movie....Its the saddest moive I've seen in a long time....seriously....there was not one thing to be happy about in it.

korinwoodo

Well, it was informative. We now know to aviod crazy *****es with cancer cures.

wally05

It kind of had a message about God also, which I was a fan of. that was different than the book. Good movie and ends much better than the book... lol

backafter20

Spoiler Alert - Don't read if you haven't seen the movie and you don't want details!!!

That depends on how you look at it Korey. In the movie, Neville dies, but only after he finds the cure. Then the few immune people have to either kill the infected ones or cure them all, which would be quite a chore. In the book, it turns out that someone else finds the cure, which controls, but doesn't get rid of the virus, and society is already being put back together without Neville's knowledge. Humans became mostly nocturnal, but Neville spends years going around killing them in the daylight anyway. He becomes the "bump in the day", a legend of sorts that frightens kids and parents alike. When they finally catch him, they execute him for being a mass murderer! I like the book version because it adds more drama to the title, and it provides a nice plot twist at the end, with Neville being the "bad guy". Also, no one needs curing once Neville's out of the picture.

I do wish there was more GT500 in the film, though. If I had my pick of all the cars in NYC, that'd be in my collection for sure!

Saddest movie Cody? Sad would have been totalling the GT500. I was more nervous in the hunting scene with that car than when Neville went into the dark! I kept saying "Don't hurt the car. Don't hurt the car." Also, what about global viruses, human vampires, and last man on earth made you think it would be a happy film? Try the next theater over with Alvin and the Chipmunks. I know, stupid, corny, predictable kids flick, but I just had to laugh at certain parts, and the chipmunks were well done.

1 COBRA

Spoiler Alert - Don't waste your money on this movie. Details:
IT'S ... A... P... O... S...!!!

codeman94

-Spoiler Alert-

It was sad becuase he was all by himself, and was borderline crazy with all of the talking to manicans and such....through all of the flashbacks, you learn that his family gets killed in the freak helicopter crash, and then to make things worse...his only living friend in the world (his dog) matytrs herself for him....then he strangles her himself becuase she is infected....then he really goes nuts cause he has no one...

Will Smith does a fantastic acting job in the film, but I was dissapointed in the movie itsself.

harley99fb

I thought the dog did the best acting in the whole movie. jmho.

codeman94

....when he Finaly cut loose from the trap and she kept licking him in the face....lol....my dog would have totally done that....