In Malcolm in the Middle, actor Frankie Muniz played the titular Malcolm, a boy genius from a blue-collar family. The show was a delightful window into middle-class family life in the late 90s and early 2000s that helped launch the career of Bryan Cranston. However, at the time, Malcolm in the Middle seemed like a vehicle to launch Muniz into the spotlight.
During his tenure as Malcolm, Muniz started to take roles in Disney channel movies and feature films. For a minute, Muniz looked like he was going to transition to a promising film career, but suddenly he decided to retire early. And by early, I mean he stopped working in his 30s.
After his retirement, Muniz spent a good bit of his money on cars and frequently mentioned his desire to become a race car driver. Now, after a couple of decades, Muniz is on his way to fulfilling his Nascar ambitions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Frankie Muniz is prepping a docuseries to chronicle his Nascar journey.
The former Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks star has teamed with NEO Studios to produce an all-access doc that will chronicle his lifelong dream of racing in a NASCAR series.
Frankie in the Fastlane (working title) will follow the actor-turned-driver as he looks to prove himself against the world's best stock car racers in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series. The project will also track him as he balances his pro career with being a new father and husband while contending with public perception and media scrutiny. The project, which has yet to be shopped to potential networks/streamers, will showcase Muniz's life on and off the track and include interviews with him and his family and friends.
"I'm proud of my past accomplishments and for being remembered as Malcolm, for example. It's a great feeling to have made an impact on people in that way, but when I'm in that seat, in the car and on the track, I know in my soul that racing as a professional driver is what I was made to do," said Muniz. "I'm excited to partner with a company like NEO Studios that really understands sports and competition programming, and to bring viewers along on this crazy journey and share my love of racing with the world."