While this year's Blackhat wasn't the critical or financial success Michael Mann typical has with one of his features, the filmmaker's doesn't plan to slow down yet. He's back in the director's chair soon, as he enters final negotiations to make a long-gestured Enzo Ferrari biopic, the story of the Italian automobile mogul who frontlined the line of cars with his last name.
Variety reports Mann plans to make the new movie under Cecchi Gori Media, to start production sometime next year. The untitled film is based on the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races by Brock Yates. It tells the tale of how a man redefined the high-power Italian sports car, then subsequently created the Formula One racing name almost by himself.
The movie has extensively been researched, as Mann likes to be during his work, and merged by two different screenplays, one written by Troy Kennedy Martin (the original The Italian Job) and David Rayfield, both of which are based on Yates 1991 book.
Niels Juul, CGM's chief executive, made a point to note this project has nothing to do with one reportedly set up Ferrari movie with Robert De Niro to play the lead character and photographer Gianni Bozzacchi. Additionally, this is just one of a couple long-in-the-making projects Juul has in the works. He also produces Martin Scorsese's currently-filming Silence.
Juul also notes the film will be shopped around Cannes next month. Reports suggest the Ferrari movie has had development since 2004, with Sydney Pollack to one-time direct before he passed in 2008. Al Pacino was slated to star in the lead role at that time, although there have been no reports yet to suggest who'll play the mogul in this new version. This was also set up at one time with Fox, but it appears that's no longer the case.
Image courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFevents.com