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Ferrari

by Michael Mann · film · 2023

unverified

Ferrari is a 2023 biographical film directed by Michael Mann, based on Brock Yates' 1991 book about Enzo Ferrari during summer 1957. Mann began development around 2000 with Sydney Pollack and writer Troy Kennedy Martin, who died in 2009. Mann, Driver and Cruz reduced their salaries, STX Entertainment financed 70% of the budget and acquired North American rights, with the rest from Italian tax credit and private investors. The film was originally set to premiere on Showtime but was eventually released theatrically on December 25, 2023 by Neon. The film is Mann's first to be made outside of the major studio system since Manhunter.

what shaped this

the makers, scenes, and predecessors this work came out of, grouped by how the influence reached it

the makers behind the maker

  • The Italian Job · Troy Kennedy Martin

    producer lineage · troy kennedy martin, screenwriter

    Troy Kennedy Martin, who wrote Ferrari's script, had earlier written The Italian Job (1969). Mann kept the script and option alive for years through multiple development phases.

    “Martin, whose script credits included the original Michael Caine-starring The Italian Job among several BBC TV series including Z Cars and 1985's political drama Edge of Darkness, died in 2009.”
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  • Mank · David Fincher

    producer lineage · erik messerschmidt, cinematographer

    Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt shot both Fincher's Mank (2020) and Mann's Ferrari. His experience as a former gaffer who became known for proactive, aggressive lighting design shaped how Mann and Messerschmidt approached Caravaggio-influenced chiaroscuro for Ferrari's interior and exterior scenes.

    “Erik was a gaffer, and he's spectacularly confident with moving lights and achieves things in 20 minutes. He and I had a very specific approach to how light works in the film, which is much like the way it works in a Caravaggio painting.”
    source ↗
  • Black Hawk Down · Ridley Scott

    producer lineage · pietro scalia, editor

    Two-time Oscar winner Pietro Scalia edited Black Hawk Down before becoming editor on Ferrari, his first collaboration with Mann. His approach to pacing and emotional cutting was shaped by his work on Scott's action films.

    “Another first-time collaborator of Mann's is two-time Academy Award winner Pietro Scalia (Black Hawk Down) who will be editing the film.”
    source ↗

lineage