What Hollywood would call “star names” are being associated with a new movie said to be in the works that will focus on the life and times of Enzo Ferrari, a star of great magnitude in his own right. Two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro has told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that he will be playing the title role, and further reports suggest that Clint Eastwood could be directing the biopic. Said to be titled simply Ferrari, the film would cover Il Commendatore’s life from 1945 up through and into the 1980s. Mr. Ferrari died in 1988.
”It is an honor to tell the life of an extraordinary man who revolutionized the world of motor sport,” De Niro is quoted by the paper. “The film will go into production soon, mostly in Italy, and has absolute priority over all my other projects.”
As with all racing movies, we shall have to wait and see how this one turns out, but the occasions when such a project includes an actor of De Niro’s stature are rare, so perhaps this one has a good chance to succeed.