Several months ago it was announced that a feature film was in the works about drag racing pioneers Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen and Don “the Snake” Prudhomme. Fans instantly became enamored with the idea of seeing their story told on the big screen. The film, which was written by Alan Paradise, details the friendship, rivalry, personal tragedies, triumphs, and business successes of the two legends. The roles of “the Snake” and “the Mongoose” are played by Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) and Richard Blake (Dragonball: Evolution) respectively, and current NHRA Funny Car drivers Ron Capps and Alexis DeJoria appear in cameo roles.

At this year’s SEMA NHRA Breakfast, the two legends and the films’ producers were on hand to talk about the movie and to reveal the trailer, which received a favorable response from the huge crowd.

Both Don and Tom were heavily involved in the making of the movie to ensure its accuracy. “It was important for us that they got it right, especially for all our drag racing fans,” said Prudhomme. Added McEwen, “I couldn’t believe the effort that went into this. Sometimes we’d be up until 1 or 2 a.m., shooting the same scene over and over again until they got it right. It reminded me of our early days of racing.”

Executive producer Alan Paradise said, “My original plans were to write a book in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the ‘Snake’ and ‘Mongoose’ Hot Wheels toys. But as I started composing my thoughts, I discovered that the story had many themes that were cinematic — the trials and tribulations of the early days of the careers along with the working relationship between two diverse personalities. It’s been 30 years since the last major drag racing film, Heart Like a Wheel, the story of Shirley Muldowney, has been done. And getting a movie made is more difficult than actually making the movie. But we were really driven by this great story about two friends who were rivals, which often created a love-hate relationship, but they were always there for each other. Don and Tom were very helpful during the production as they were very candid about a lot of things and very accessible.”

Look for the Snake & Mongoose movie to be released sometime in the Spring of 2013.