THE STUNT DRIVER

The Stunt Driver Chases an Impossible Dream

Ken Carter didn't want to simply finish his stunt-driving career.

He wanted to fly a rocket car across the St. Lawrence River.

The Stunt Driver tells the true story of the Canadian daredevil known as the “Mad Canadian,” whose increasingly ambitious stunts made him a celebrity during the 1970s.

But Carter wanted something bigger.

After decades of putting his life on the line, he became obsessed with attempting what many believed was impossible: launching a rocket-powered car across nearly a mile of the St. Lawrence River.

If he succeeded, the stunt could bring him international fame, a massive payday and the perfect ending to his career.

Actually making it happen was another story.

Carter assembled a team, brought in experts to help design the rocket car and pursued the money and publicity necessary to turn his outrageous idea into reality. The National Film Board of Canada even began documenting his preparations, footage that would eventually become the 1981 documentary The Devil at Your Heels.

But behind the spectacle was a man battling personal demons, public doubt and an increasingly complicated collection of obstacles standing between him and the jump.

Written and directed by Michael Dowse, The Stunt Driver turns Carter's remarkable story into a historical comedy about ambition, obsession and one man's refusal to accept that his dream might be completely insane.

Everyone told Ken Carter the jump was impossible.

That only made him want to do it more.

The Stunt Driver releases in theaters on September 25, 2026.