Invited by Ayrton Senna’s niece, Bianca—and with the approval of Viviane, the sister of the unforgettable Formula 1 driver (both of whom oversee the champion’s legacy)—Céu developed the storyline and design for an animated feature film. It was intended to tell the story of what happened to Ayrton after his tragic accident and the challenging cosmic Grand Prix in which he went on to compete. However, the project was shelved.
Senna 火の鳥, Senna Phoenix: a gothic cosmic tale
Comments from Céu:
This wasn’t the first project I conceived that never made it past the blueprint stage.
But it was certainly the most painful one to see go unrealized, and the hardest to let go of.
Bianca and Viviane were enthusiastic; Bianca, in particular, firmly believed—just as I did—that these designs would take shape and come to life, and that this story would be told.
I saw here the possibility of realizing a major dream—of creating something that was simultaneously highly popular and watched by a mass audience, yet also carried an innovative message and visual style. We secured all the necessary copyright and trademark registrations.
Initially, it was pitched to a major international film production and streaming company. They showed interest and spent a few months evaluating it. But the expected green light never came.
We still tried to get it off the ground in other ways—starting as a video game, a teaser, a comic book… As the years went by, my folder of ideas, new sketches, and notes kept growing and growing… But it didn’t work out.
Anyway…