Neon has acquired the North American rights to Michael Mann Ferrarisetting a national release for Christmas.
Sources note that the project was acquired in a competitive situation involving other studios and the streamer. Ferrari is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival, setting it up for eventual awards season.
Adam Driver stars as Enzo Ferrari alongside Penelope Cruz as Laura Ferrari. Shailene Woodley, Jack O’Connell, Sarah Gadon, Patrick Dempsey and Gabriel Leone round out the cast.
The synopsis of the film reads: “Ferrari set in the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle and dangers of 1950 Formula 1, ex-racing driver Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy is stalking the company he and his wife, Laura, built from scratch ten years ago. Their tumultuous marriage struggles with mourning their only son. Ferrari struggles with the recognition of another. His leaders’ thirst for victory pushes them to the brink. He bets everything on one roll of the dice on one race, the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.
Mann directed Ferrari screenplay by Troy Kennedy Martin based on the book by Brock Yates Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine. Mann produced alongside PJ van Sandwijk, John Lesher, Marie Savare, John Friedberg, Lars Sylvest, Thorsten Schumacher and Gareth West.
CAA Media Finance negotiated the deal on behalf of the director.
From the Cannes Film Festival, Neon acquired a full slate of Palme d’Or-winning films Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, Alice Rohrwacher La ChimeraWim Wenders Perfect days and Robot dreams by Pablo Berger.