Is ‘Baby Driver’ Just the Movie ‘Drive’ with a Different Cast?
The wildly popular South by Southwest festival is a place where creative types can get together and showcase a variety of work. Film director Edgar Wright used SXSW as an opportunity to premiere his upcoming action thriller, Baby Driver, starring heartthrob Ansel Elgort as the title character, Baby. While the film has garnered only fresh scores on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time of writing), those who have not seen the film yet are hesitant about the film’s familiar premise.
Let’s compare both plots
The description of the newly released official international trailer on YouTube reads, “A talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.”
Those who have seen the 2011 movie Drive (starring Ryan Gosling) know that the film features an unnamed talented getaway driver that gets caught up in a life of crime after he starts to fall in love with his neighbor. The film managed to acquire many award nominations and wins, including Albert Brooks receiving the award for Best Supporting Actor at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. It was also a part of many top ten lists in notable publications like Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club, New York Post, and The Boston Globe.
With all of that positive attention and publicity, many viewers of the Baby Driver trailer have been wondering, “Why would they just blatantly copy this movie?”
Edgar Wright’s 2003 music video
Well, here’s the thing–Edgar Wright, director of Baby Driver, stated in a recent interview that he originally came up with the premise for the film back in 2002 but instead adapted the idea into a 2003 music video for the electronic music group Mint Royale. The music video was a huge success and Wright constantly fought with the idea of bringing the premise to life via film, ultimately deciding in 2014 that he would begin production on Baby Driver.
Soon after the announcement, casting began and Ansel Elgort was the first to join. Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, and Lily James all joined soon after, making the film completely star-studded. It’s hard to say whether or not the film will be exactly like 2011’s Drive without seeing it, but from the looks of the trailer, it seems to be a little more upbeat and comedy-driven than the gritty Gosling drama. Take a peak at the trailer below and let us know what you think!
Check out the trailer for Baby Driver, in theaters August 11, 2017:
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.