When it comes to the world of automobile marques, none are more revered than Ferrari, and its mysterious founder, Enzo. A private man, to say the least, Enzo dedicated his life to racing and built arguably the greatest race cars of all time.
Now, after multiple decades in development, the biopic about the man behind the prancing black horse will finally begin shooting in spring 2022, according to a Deadline report. With Michael Mann at the helm, and a star-studded lineup, the film is set during the summer of 1957, with bankruptcy looming over Ferrari, Enzo sees the Mille Miglia race as his last chance at success.
The Great Old Man Of Maranello
Born in 1898, with the exact date a mystery thanks to multiple accounts of snowstorms, and delays at the birth registration office; Enzo was born to Alfredo and Adalgisa Ferrari. With the family business fabricating metal parts, it’s no wonder Enzo was born with the passion to shape and race metal.
Seeing his racing debut in 1919, a year later Enzo would join Alfa Romeo as a team driver; the same company that would support the birth of Scuderia Ferrari, nine years later, in 1929. Unfortunately, less than a decade later, in 1937, Scuderia Ferrari would be dissolved, and Enzo would leave Alfa due to a spat with Alfa’s managing director.
Director Michael Mann has been working on the project for an astounding two decades. Thanks to his passion for the project, along with the involvement of major entertainment and media company STX, which will handle distribution, the story is reportedly headed for the bright lights of theaters.
After having Hugh Jackman slotted to play the title role earlier, Driver was announced as the lead just recently. Earlier Enzo castings for various biopics had Christian Bale, who played Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari, and even Robert de Niro playing the role.
Adam Driver is now attached to star in director Michael Mann’s long-in-development biopic Ferrari as Enzo Ferrari. Enzo’s wife, the headstrong and tempestuous Laura, will be played by Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz, while Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley plays Enzo’s mistress Lina Lardi. (Lardi is the mother of Enzo’s once-illegitimate son Piero, who himself has risen to play a symbolic role in Ferrari affairs in recent years.)
The script was written by both Mann and Troy Kennedy Martin, who penned The Italian Job. The film will be shot in Modena starting in May. No word on when it will be in theaters. With the recent success of the racing film Ford v Ferrari, our hopes are high.