Tech god Steve Jobs soon won’t be the only one to have two biographical films going head-to-head in cinemas: Hollywood star Christian Bale is reported to have signed for the lead role in a second new film about motoring legend Enzo Ferrari.
Perhaps best known for his work as comic book hero Batman, Bale also delivered standout performances in the films American Psycho, The Machinist and The Prestige, among others.
This latest role, reported at film news website Deadline, will largely see the 41 year-old Bale portray ‘iI Commendatore’ in his earlier years, setting the story apart from another recently announced Ferrari biopic that will star legendary actor Robert De Niro, aged 72.
Bale’s Ferrari film will be directed by Michael Mann (Heat, Ali), who is understood to have been working on this project since the early 1990s with a story based on Brock Yates’ biographical book, Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races.
Reports suggest the film will be set in the years following 1957, when a fatal crash in the Mille Miglia race saw Enzo Ferrari and tyre manufacturer Englebert face court on charges of manslaughter.
A screen date for Bale’s Ferrari film is yet to be confirmed, but De Niro has promised that his own film, rumoured to be directed by Clint Eastwood, will hit theatres in 2016.