Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind) returns once more behind the camera with Rush, already one of the most anticipated films of 2013.

We’ve seen a handful of set photos from the film already, giving us a look at leading stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers), Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds), and Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy), and now the film’s official website has gone live, bringing with it the first official images from the film, a pretty excellent logo, and the official synopsis.

“Two-time Academy Award® winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon), teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award® nominee, writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen), on Rush, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives.

Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, Rush portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed—handsome English playboy Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Lauda. Taking us into their personal lives on and off the track, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.

Also starring Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy) and Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader), Rush is produced by Andrew Eaton (A Mighty Heart), Howard, Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind), Eric Fellner (Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Morgan and Brian Oliver (Black Swan) and executive produced by Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media, Todd Hallowell and Tim Bevan. Universal Pictures will distribute the film in North America.

Rush was shot on location in the U.K., Germany and Austria.”

Howard reunites once more with the Oscar-nominated Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), who has for years been one of the best writers on either side of the Atlantic, with Natalie Dormer (The Tudors, Game of Thrones) and Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader) completing the cast.

Rush is set for release in the US on 20th September, and given the talent involved, could well be heading for a run at the 2014 Oscars – though naturally, it’s very much early days to be predicting that this far out. No word yet on a UK release, but StudioCanal will be distributing it on our shores, and hopefully we’ll see it next September, too. I can’t wait. For now, enjoy these great first images from the film, including a shot of Brühl and Howard on set, and as usual, you can click to enlarge.