De Niro to play Enzo Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari, the late founder of one of the world's most iconic brands, Ferrari, is set to be immortalised in a new film. And Robert De Niro will play 'il Commendatore'.

The news comes from the Cannes Film Festival where De Niro told Italian newspaper, Il Messaggero, the new bio-pic will take precedence over all his other projects.

"It is an honour to tell the life of an extraordinary man who revolutionised the world of motorsport," said the 71-year-old actor, who has won two Oscars for The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull.

"The film will go into production soon, mostly in Italy, and has absolute priority over all my other projects," De Niro told the Italian paper.

Clint Eastwood has been approached to direct the film but has made no commitment as yet. Perhaps that's because De Niro is currently working on a feature called Dirty Grandpa.

There have been other attempts to develop a feature film about the enigmatic Ferrari founder but they have all stalled.

US entertainment trade magazine Variety had previously said LA-based Cecchi Gori Pictures was working on the concept and De Niro's confirmation suggests funding has been found and it's virtually a done deal.

The script is expected to be based on author Brock Yates' biography of the Italian stalwart, and will focus on the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team and Ferrari's move into building high-end production sports cars. The scope of the film will span post-war era from roughly 1945 until the early 1980s, a large part of which is understood to focus on the battles between the Ferrari and Maserati.

That the latter will be a focus is interesting given the Italian marques now co-exist under the same Fiat Chrysler Automobiles parent company.