Director Michael Mann has been trying for years to make a movie about the life of famed car designer Enzo Ferrari. The project can trace its origins 17 years back to when Mann and the late director Sydney Pollack began development. At one point Christian Bale was set to star as Ferrari, but he pulled out over concerns about all the weight he would have to gain in order to embody the character.
Across the years, Mann has nursed his Ferrari project along despite all the set-backs, and now it appears his hard work is going to pay off. It looks like Mann has finally cast his Enzo Ferrari, and the project now appears to gaining momentum. The star Mann has lined up to play the famous Ferrari could not possibly be a hotter name.
According to Deadline, Mann’s long-gestating Ferrari will go ahead with the scorchingly hot Hugh Jackman in the title role. Mann has reportedly cast Noomi Rapace to play Ferrari’s estranged wife Linda. Mann’s script centers largely around the complex relationship between Linda and Enzo. The story takes place in 1957, a pivotal year for Ferrari in his rivalry against fellow sports car manufacturers Maserati. The movie may go before cameras as soon as summer 2018.
Hugh Jackman reportedly has been in discussions with Mann for awhile about taking on the role of Ferrari. It’s probably not a coincidence that with Jackman’s arrival the movie is suddenly going ahead. With Logan soaring at the box office, Jackman has never been hotter than he is right now. Interest in Mann’s Ferrari film may have been lukewarm before, but with Jackman now attached, potential financial backers will pay attention.
Mann has been in somewhat of a soft period career-wise over the past several years. His last release was the 2015 hacker film Blackhat starring Chris Hemsworth, a movie that didn’t go over very well with critics and was a total bomb at the box office, grossing just $19 million on a reported budget of $70 million. Mann’s last bona fide hit was 2009’s Public Enemies, which did $241 million at the box office largely thanks to Johnny Depp’s then-considerable star power.
Ferrari is the kind of passion project that directors like Michael Mann are willing to slowly grow and foster over the course of many years, waiting for the opportunity to get the movie made the right way. With Jackman and Rapace now on-board, it appears Mann is finally going to deliver the Enzo Ferrari biopic he’s long dreamed of crafting.
Source: Deadline
