EXCLUSIVE: Victoria Mahoney (The Old Guard 2) has been tapped to direct Amazon MGM’s rom-com Clean Air from Westbrook Studios, The Chainsmokers’ Kick The Habit Productions and NASCAR, on which we were first to report all the way back in 2021.
Written by Alison Rose Greenberg, the film follows Lyla, an ambitious sports agent who loses her superstar client before the start of NASCAR’s season and decides to take a chance on a rebellious female dirt track racer, 17-year-old Piper Kyte. With her career on the line, Lyla’s challenge — getting Piper NASCAR-ready — is only won if she can also reform Piper’s reclusive father, Matthew Kyte, a former NASCAR champion who infamously walked away from the sport and hasn’t been seen in four years.
Will Smith and Jon Mone will produce on behalf of Westbrook Studios alongside Kick The Habit Productions’ Dan Marcus. Heather Washington will exec produce for Westbrook alongside Drew Taggart, Alex Pall and Adam Alpert for Kick The Habit, Tim Clark for NASCAR, and Matt Summers.
Currently filming the Suits: LA pilot for NBC, Mahoney is also in post on The Old Guard 2, Netflix’s follow-up to its actioner The Old Guard starring Charlize Theron, which came in as one of the most successful original launches in the history of the streamer, being viewed by 78 million households in its first four weeks. Making her directorial debut in 2011 with the Golden Bear-nominated feature Yelling to the Sky, developed through the Directors and Screenwriters Lab at Sundance, Mahoney has also helmed episodes of The Morning Show, Lovecraft Country, I Am the Night, You, Seven Seconds, Power and more. Additionally, she was handpicked by J.J. Abrams to direct second unit on Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
Preparing to roll out Bad Boys: Ride or Die on June 7, Westbrook Studios’ upcoming slate also includes Nikyatu Jusu’s Night of the Living Dead, the next chapter of I Am Legend starring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan, and the action comedy Regulators starring Nicky Jam.
Mahoney is represented by CAA and Nina Shaw at Del Shaw Moonves.
