It’s been over seven years since Michael Mann was last in the director’s chair with Blackhat, and now he’s returning in a big way with the biopic Ferrari about automobile entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari. The film is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year, due to the fact that Mann has been attempting to get this film produced since 2000.
The focus of Ferrari will be the prestigious Mille Miglia race and Ferrari’s involvement in it. The film shows the final run of this 1,000-mile open-road endurance race across Italy in 1957. The race could no longer continue after a Ferrari car, driven by Alfonso de Portago, blew a tire and crashed into the crowd. Tragically, the accident killed nine people (including five children) and Portago himself.
With an A-list cast and a celebrated director in Mann, Ferrari is more than worthy of being on your radar. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming film.
What Is the Plot of Ferrari?
A logline for the film says Ferrari will follow “the life of Italian driver and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari in 1957 as he deals with family problems while also preparing for the 1957 Mille Miglia”. Ferrari follows the car entrepreneur as he battles multiple issues in both his professional and personal life. These issues include a divorce from his wife, bankruptcy, and the stress of leading a team of drivers in the Mille Miglia. It is possible that the film will show the intense legal battle that ensued after the horrific accident which caused the race to shut down forever. Ferrari was accused of manslaughter because the car that malfunctioned was of his own production. You’ll have to watch the movie to find out the fate of Ferrari. (Don’t spoil the story by Googling it!)
The story is based on a book written in 1991 by the late author and journalist Brock Yates titled Enzo Ferrari — The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine. Yates had a particular interest in racing as he had experience as a pit reporter for NASCAR on CBS. He was also the host of the TNN racing show American Sports Cavalcade and created the famous Cannonball Run race. For those of you not in the racing world, Cannonball Run is an unofficial and unsanctioned race beginning in New York and finishing in Los Angeles. An action comedy film of the same name was produced, which Yates also wrote.
Who Stars in Ferrari?
The main character of Enzo Ferrari will be played by Adam Driver. Driver is most recognized for playing Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He has been nominated for a wide range of awards, such as Tonys, Primetime Emmys, SAG Awards, BAFTAs, Academy Awards, and more. Michael Mann is only the latest among a long line of high-profile directors Driver has worked with, as he previously collaborated with Ridley Scott (The Last Duel, House of Gucci), Martin Scorsese (Silence), Steven Soderbergh (Logan Lucky), Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar), Joel and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis), and Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman). As talented as Driver may be, he wasn’t the first actor to be cast in the role. Ferrari was previously going to be played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Jackman left the project and ironically enough, Bale decided to do another movie centered on the world of automobiles titled Ford v Ferrari, where he depicts racecar driver Ken Miles. Bale dropped out of the film due to his concerns over having to gain a large amount of weight in a short period in order to play Enzo Ferrari.
Ferrari’s wife, Laura, will be played by seasoned actress Penélope Cruz. Cruz is well respected in Hollywood to the extent of being an Academy Award winner and nominee for multiple other awards, such as SAG Awards and Primetime Emmys. She is best known for films such as Vicky Christina Barcelona, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Vanilla Sky, and the musical movie Nine.
Shailene Woodley will play Lina Lardi, Ferrari’s longtime mistress. Woodley has been in the business since she was a child and gained recognition on the television show The Secret Life of the American Teenager, she later broke out into superstardom playing the lead roles in the YA films Divergent, The Spectacular Now, The Fault in our Stars.
Hollywood heartthrob Patrick Dempsey has been cast as Italian race car driver Piero Taruffi. You may have seen Dempsey as Robert Phillip in Disney’s Enchanted films or playing Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shephard on Grey’s Anatomy. Dempsey will be bringing his real-life experience to this role, as he has actually participated in auto races for many years. Other roles include Jack O’Connell (Unbroken) as British driver Peter Collins, Sarah Gadon (Enemy) as Mexican actress Linda Christian, and Gabriel Leone (Dom) as the colorful character Alfonso de Portago.
Who Is the Creative Team Driving Ferrari?
As we mentioned before, Hollywood icon and four-time Academy Award nominee, Michael Mann, will be directing this biopic. Ferrari will be the first movie he has directed in eight years, making it all the more exciting. Highlights from Mann’s career so far include Heat, Ali, Public Enemies, and Thief. Not only is he directing, but Mann also co-wrote the script with the late Troy Kennedy Martin, who also wrote The Italian Job. Impressively, Mann has written almost all of his films, excluding Collateral and Blackhat. To add to his involvement with the picture, Mann is producing it along with a stream of others such as P.J. van Sandwijk (Thirteen Lives), Niels Juul (The Irishman), Qi Lin (Three-Body), John Lesher (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)), Lars Sylvest (Death Sentence), Monika Bacardi (To the Bone), Thorsten Schumacher (All Quiet on the Western Front), Andrea Iervolino (The Ritual Killer), Gareth West (Unhinged), and Thomas Hayslip (Obi-Wan Kenobi).
When and Where Is Ferrari Being Released?
Ferrari finished shooting last year, but Michael Mann is known for being a stickler with his editing. Even if the film was ready, there has been no company confirmed to distribute it, even with such a famous director and cast. What happened is that Ferrari was produced by STX Entertainment, which became a division of ErosSTX, an Indian media company. Because of this merger, STX would no longer be a distributor, but only a production house. It is possible that Lionsgate will pick up the film, but nothing is set in stone, as it did with another STX title, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.
The broadcasting company, Sky, has announced that Ferrari will be shown on their channels, but it is unclear when that will happen. Even though it is certain that the film will be shown on television, it has also been confirmed that there will be some sort of limited run in movie theaters in the United States. For those of you in the UK, you can rest easy knowing that you will be able to catch it in theaters this year released by Sky Cinema.
Is There a Trailer for Ferrari?
Due to distribution issues, there has not yet been a trailer released for Ferrari. We hope they will sort out the business aspect of the film, so we can all appreciate the artistry of it on the big screen.