Renowned filmmaker Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider) has cast Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley for his dream project, Ferrari. The film is based on the life of Italian entrepreneur and racer Enzo Ferrari. Michael Mann has been developing Ferrari for two decades, and Hugh Jackman was previously cast in the title role. Adam Driver now replaces Jackman as Enzo Ferrari, with Penelope Cruz playing his wife Laura and Shailene Woodley playing mistress Lina Lardi.
Things were looking hopeful after Hugh Jackman’s casting in Ferrari, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the big-budget biopic faced further delays. But it seems like we may get to see Michael Mann’s passion project finally come to life. Ferrari will shoot this summer in Italy, Deadline reports.
Ferrari is penned by Troy Kennedy Martin (The Italian Job), adapted from the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine by Brock Yates. Michael Mann is also on board as producer and was elated to announce the casting. “Being able to have these wonderfully talented artists, actors Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley, bring to life these unique characters on location in Modena and the Emilia-Romagna is a vision fulfilled,” the Heat director said.
Starting as a race car driver, Enzo Ferrari went on to found the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently the renowned auto manufacturer, Ferrari. To this day, Enzo Ferrari remains an influential figure in the automobile industry. The upcoming film will recount a tumultuous phase in the racing mogul’s life. The plot synopsis reads: “Ferrari is set during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.”
Despite Leading Three Well-Received Movies, Adam Driver Missed Out on an Oscar Nod
Adam Driver delivered three incredible lead performances in 2021. Driver starred in Leos Carax’s Annette and Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci and The Last Duel. While they were definitely not the best films of the year, Adam Driver was electrifying as always. Fan-favorite Lady Gaga also failed to secure an Oscar nomination for her starring role in House of Gucci.
Hopefully, 2022 will fare better for Driver. He will next be seen in the sci-fi thriller 65, directed by A Quiet Place creators Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Driver also headlines the cast of Noah Baumbach’s White Noise.
