'Ford Vs. Ferrari' Movie To Be Helmed By Logan Director James Mangold
"Logan" director James Mangold will be helming the upcoming "Ford vs. Ferrari" movie for 20th Century Fox. The film follows the battle between the designers at Ford and Ferrari to create the world's fastest racecar, a story that has been done time and again in both literature and media.
According to Variety, Mangold will be developing the "Untitled Ford vs. Ferrari Project" along with screenwriters Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. The two brothers previously collaborated on the screenplay for the sci-fi film "Edge of Tomorrow" and Doug Liman's biographical political drama "Fair Game."
A spokesperson from Fox confirmed the director's attachment to the film but did not reveal any of the casting choices. However, sources say that Mangold is interested in casting Christian Bale for the role of Ken Miles and Matt Damon for Caroll Shelby.
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The film centers around the heated race car battle between Ford and Ferrari during the 1966 Le Mans World Championship. After the two carmakers had a falling out due to Ford's failed attempt to buy Ferrari, the American automaker placed its enormous resources into developing a new race car aimed at finally defeating the Italian legend.
A release date has not been set film nor is it known if this will be Mangold's next directorial project. Prior to being linked with "Ford vs. Ferrari," Mangold was previously slated to direct "The Force," an adaptation of Don Winslow's best-selling crime thriller, for Fox.
Mangold has also been attached to make a drama about kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst. However, the project was cancelled due to complaints by the Hearst family who were concerned that the film would depict Patty Hearst as an enthusiastic member of the SLA, the terrorist group behind her kidnapping and which she later joined.
Fox previously had rights to the A.J. Baime book "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans," but has since lost it to Legendary Entertainment. As such, Mangold will be using a different source material for the upcoming "Ford vs. Ferrari" film.
