Somewhere, Michael Mann has a giant, Indiana Jones-style warehouse in which he keeps the files for all the projects he’s currently considering directing. Or maybe he just rents space in a shared facility that also has room for the possible future projects of Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, JJ Abrams and more. For now, though, it’s Mann holding his hand up to the palm print reader and unlocking the door to put a new likely film in place, as he’s hammering out a deal with 20th Century Fox to direct Go Like Hell.
He’s planning to shoot the true story of the fierce rivalry between Ford and Ferrari around the legendary Le Mans race in 1966, which was the first time that the American company scored a win.
Bubbling beneath the surface is the tale of how Henry Ford II worked with men such as Lee Iacocca and racing champ-turned-engineer Carroll Shelby to re-invent the Ford company and make their name in European racing, competing with Enzo Ferarri’s seemingly unbeatable vehicles.
AJ Baimes wrote the book that will serve as the fuel for the new story, which frankly sounds like prime Mann material. And perhaps he’s been feeling the need for even more speed after working on HBO’s racehorse drama Luck?
Variety reports that Brad Pitt has been mentioned as a possible lead, but since his name comes up for just about every project in Hollywood, that sounds more like a wait-and-see issue.
Mann, meanwhile, is also attached to a variety of likely movies, including Agincourt, Big Tuna, Gold and war photographer biography Waiting for Robert Capa. One of these days, he’ll pick a new project. Wonder if the storage facility has a bell that rings when that happens, or a chimney to spew white smoke as when the new Pope is elected?