It’s been nearly 30 years since his death, but Enzo Ferrari remains one of the most enigmatic and talked-about figures in all of automotive history. Hollywood has been trying to get a film about the life of “Il Commendatore” off the ground since at least the early 1990s, but now it looks like it’s finally happening with Robert DeNiro in the title role.
Citing a report from Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, The Guardian says that 71-year-old DeNiro has announced he’ll star as Ferrari in an upcoming movie, possibly with Clint Eastwood as director if he likes the script. Here’s what DeNiro told the newspaper:
“It is an honor to tell the life of an extraordinary man who revolutionized the world of motor sport. The film will go into production soon, mostly in Italy, and has absolute priority over all my other projects.”
The film is expected to cover a period from 1945 to the early 1980s, which is most of the time Ferrari spent building his racing team and its road car arm.
I’m excited to see DeNiro as Ferrari. It’s a good fit all around. Besides the obvious Italian heritage the two share, DeNiro’s a great choice to play a man who was famously temperamental and complicated on and off the race track.
Let’s hope this Ferrari film endeavor has better luck than previous ones did.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.