Michael Mann has been trying to direct an Enzo Ferrari biopic for almost twenty years .
The last time we heard about it in 2020, when there was still talk of Hugh Jackman in the role of the founder of the famous car manufacturer. Now the project is finally about to take off: STX has bought it for the American market and Leone Film Group will distribute it in our country, while Amazon will deal with other territories.
Mann also chose a new cast. Adam Driver , Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley will interpret the film. For Adam Driver it will be the second role as an Italian after Ridley Scott ‘s House of Gucci . The actor obviously replaced Jackman as Enzo Ferrari, while Penélope Cruz will be Ferrari’s wife, Laura, and Shailene Woodley, his lover Lina Lardi. Shooting should start in May, in Modena and Emilia Romagna.
The plot of Ferrari
The film will be set in the summer of 1957, at a time of crisis for the former Ferrari driver. The company is close to bankruptcy, the marriage with his wife and partner Laura is in crisis after the death of a child. Ferrari decides to bet everything on winning the Mille Miglia to revive the fortunes of his career.
Troy Kennedy-Martin ( One Shot Italian, Danko ) wrote the script. Kennedy-Martin passed away in 2009, and that immediately makes it clear how long Mann has been working on the project. At the base of the script is the book Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine by Brock Yates . Mann will produce under his Moto Productions alongside PJ van Sandwijk, John Lesher, Lars Sylvest, Thorsten Schumacher and Gareth West .
Michael Mann stated:
Being able to work with these extraordinarily talented artists, actors Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley, to bring these unique characters to life in the locations of Modena and Emilia Romagna, is a realized vision