Enzo Ferrari biopic back on track

Fans of Enzo Ferrari and the company he founded could finally get the film they have wanted: A film company is getting closer to putting the long-delayed biopic into production, Variety reports. LA-based Cecchi Gori Pictures is said to be in talks with a well-known American director to helm the film, based on a script by Troy Kennedy Martin and David Rayfield. The script and the film project have been in gestation for years, but the project had been plagued by delays.

The film company is reportedly scouting locations in Italy and making revisions to the script, with Cecchi Gori Pictures CEO Niels Juul telling Variety that the company is in talks with financial backers for the film. Production based on the Kennedy Martin script was supposed to start in 2004, with Sydney Pollack tapped to direct the film and starring Al Pacino as Ferrari, though the project fell apart after Pollack's death in 2008. Al Pacino is no longer formally attached to the picture, and Cecchi Gori has not said that they have an actor lined up for the role.

Juul is said to be working closely with Pam Yates, wife of Brock Yates who wrote the 1991 book, "Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races," on which the film is said to be based.

Ferrari's last appearance in film came in the 2013 F1 drama "Rush," where he was briefly portrayed by Augusto Dall'ara, sitting trackside while James Hunt and Niki Lauda battled on the track.

The film company expects to announce more details in a month or two, which will hopefully including casting details.

By Jay Ramey