‘Drive’ Revs Up For Its Premiere

(April 15, 2007) — A new action-packed drama series speeds onto television screens tonight with a two-hour season premiere.

“Drive” is a serialized thriller that follows the lives of a group of Americans racing against each other in a sinister (and possibly fatal) cross-country race. Each has a special reason to compete – and each must win.

Leading the ensemble cast is Nathan Fillion, an actor who is familiar to sci-fi and action fans with his roles in “Firefly,” “Lost” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” along with the films “Slither” and “Serenity.”

Fillion gives Access some details on the mysterious race the drivers are competing in:

“It’s a secret cross-country road race — illegal. There’s a 32 million dollar prize. Now, people are selected to play. They know of the race, they might have wanted to get in, but they’re selected very carefully by a secret [entity] that runs the whole thing.”

While some characters in “Drive” are in the race to win a legendary $32 million prize, Fillion’s character is in the race for a very different reason. “My character, Alex Tully, he’s actually being forced to race,” he reveals to Access. “His wife has been kidnapped and he’s told if he doesn’t win, he’ll never see her again.”

He stresses that the show’s plot is much more than a simple race. “It’s not just about how fast you can get from point A to point B,” he says. “It’s about how far you’re willing to go, and what you’re willing to do. How bad you want to win.”

The show promises many twists and turns along the way and, like other successful serialized dramas, strong characterization. Fillion’s racing partner, Kristin Lehman, is thrilled with the meaty characters she and the other actors get to play. “They’re really delving into our back-stories to see how committed we really are to staying in the race,” she explains. “And the characters — they way they intersect, I never could have guessed the way they’re taking us… it’s a joy to go to work.”

The cast of “Drive” (photo: Fox)

“Drive” is the latest show for creator/executive producer Tim Minear, who served as EP on critically acclaimed cult favorites “Angel,” Firefly,” and “Wonderfalls,” among others. And while those shows attracted a loyal and devout fan base, Minear feels that “Drive” will attract a much wider audience. He writes on the Drive News Blog of the show’s broad appeal:

“A secret, illegal, underground road race can be anything from ‘Cannonball Run’ to ‘The Game’ to ‘North By Northwest’ to ‘Magnolia’-on-wheels. Ours is all those things.”

“Drive” premieres tonight at 8:00 PM on FOX.