A Ferrari->ke252 biopic has been in the works in some form or another for about 15 years. A fake version was made in the HBO show Entourage in which superstar actor Vincent Chase played Enzo Ferrari, but that’s about as close as we’ve gotten. But now it looks like the project is moving ahead and actor Christian Bale is reportedly being tapped to play the young Il Commendatore.

Currently most well known for his starring role in the most recent Batman trilogy, Bale could co-star with veteran actor Robert De Niro, who’s involvement with the film was confirmed in April of 2015. The working theory seems to be that Bale could play a young Enzo during the company’s founding as a racing team in the 40s, 50s and 60s, and De Niro would play the same character towards the end of his life in the 70s and 80s.

“For me it is an honor and a joy to tell the life of an extraordinary man who revolutionized the automotive world and across historical periods,” De Niro told Italian outlet Il Messaggero in April. “The film will go into production soon, mostly in Italy->ke2094, and has absolute priority over all my other projects.”

The film is reportedly in the hands of director Michael Mann. The Ferrari film is thought to be a passion project for the director, who with movies including Ali and The Insider is no stranger to the biopic genre. He also worked with De Niro on the crime epic, Heat, and more recently with Bale on Public Enemies. His attention to detail and long-form storytelling style should appease car geeks like us.

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Why it matters

As previously mentioned, the idea for a Ferrari film has been bouncing around Hollywood for quite some time. If you’re reading this website, you likely already know that Ferrari’s story is an interesting one, filled with challenges, triumphs and loss. However, the story is probably a harder sell to Hollywood executives, who want to see butts in theater seats. By that metric, its probably being pitched as a critical success rather than a summer blockbuster, but an A-lister like Bale will likely sell a few more tickets.