Former Batman and Oscar winning actor Christian Bale is in talks to star in an upcoming biopic centered around Italian car magnete Enzo Ferrari. The film has long been passion project for director Michael Mann. The film isn’t entirely a sure thing as of yet, however, might start shooting as early as next summer, reports Deadline.
The focus of the film will be on the rise of Ferrari into a luxury car company in the 1950’s. Long stuck in development, the Enzo Ferrari film will hope to find a financier later this year along with a writer and producer. Mann has been trying to stage a screen version of the story for nearly fifteen years.
Bale and Mann previously worked together with the 2009 film mob drama Public Enemies, which also starred Johnny Deep and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. Bale, most recently was seen in Ridley Scott‘s Exodus: Gods and Kings, will appear next in the Adam McKay film The Big Short and is about to start shooting Terry George‘s The Promise. The actor won an Academy Award for David O. Russell’s 2010 drama The Fighter.
While Mann is synonymous with crime dramas (as the helmer of beloved features like Heat, Thief and Collateral, as well as the executive producer of the immortal ’80s hit Miami Vice), the filmmaker also previously tackled the acclaimed biographical dramas The Insider and Ali, the former of which Mann received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. Mann’s last directing project was the critically misfire Blackhat, which starred Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Viola Davis (The Help).
The untitled project will likely be shopped around at the upcoming Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in search for distributors. We will stay tuned to what develops.
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