Christian Bale has signed on to headline Michael Mann’s long-gestating Enzo Ferrari biopic
In the planning stages for more than a decade, four-time Academy Award nominated director Michael Mann’s Enzo Ferrari biopic appears to finally be moving forward. Deadline today brings word that the film, simply titled Ferrari, has found its leading man in Academy Award winner Christian Bale. According to the outlet, Ferrari is now looking for buyers with the plan being to shoot next summer.
Enzo Ferrari’s bio on the official Ferrari website is listed as follows:
Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena on February 18th 1898 and died on August 14th 1988. He devoted his entire life to designing and building sports cars and, of course, to the track. Having been made an official Alfa Romeo driver in 1924, within five years he had gone on to found the Scuderia Ferrari on Viale Trento Trieste in Modena which assisted mostly gentlemen drivers in racing their cars.
In 1938, Enzo Ferrari was appointed head of Alfa Corse but quit the position in 1939 to set up his own company, Auto Avio Costruzioni, which operated out of the old Scuderia buildings.
Ferrari has garnered over 5,000 victories on the world’s tracks and roads, becoming a modern-day legend in the process. In order to meet growing market demand, Enzo Ferrari sold the Fiat Group a 50% stake in the company in 1969, a figure that rose to 90% in 1988.
Bale, who recently starred in Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic, Exodus: Gods and Kings, previously worked with Mann on 2009’s Public Enemies. Mann followed that film up with his recent Blackhat, starring Chris Hemsworth, which was released in theaters earlier this year.
It is noted that Ferrari is close to locking a female lead as well, so check back soon for updates as they become available.
(Photo Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN.com)
