‘Ferrari’ Character Posters Set the Stakes for Adam Driver and Company

In just under a month, Michael Mann‘s new biopic Ferrari will race into theaters and tell the story of the grief and crisis surrounding Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) in the summer of 1957. To prepare for the Oscar nominee’s first film since 2015’s Blackhat, Letterboxd exclusively shared a set of character posters highlighting the key players in and around Ferrari during this tumultuous time for the luxury sports car manufacturer. All five figures shown will collide as Enzo looks to bring glory to the Ferrari name through the infamous Mille Miglia race that also could destroy everything he’s ever worked for.

At the center of Ferrari are Enzo and Laura Ferrari (Penélope Cruz) who are still feeling the pain of losing their son Dino a year earlier and are facing headwinds in their relationship. Their rocky marriage isn’t helped by the fact that the factory they built together is facing bankruptcy, nor the reality of Enzo’s infidelity with his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), with whom he had a son whom he struggles to accept. Though Driver is the film’s star, it’s Cruz, in Mann’s mind, who connected with the grief, anger, and general mannerisms of Laura more than anyone, helping to elevate the Ferrari matriarch as the heart and soul of the film.

The last two character posters highlight Patrick Dempsey and Gabriel Leone as Ferrari racers Piero Taruffi and Alfonso de Portago, which shows the importance of the Mille Miglia in Ferrari’s story. Enzo bet it all on the infamous race and the stress of leading a team through it all only compounds the strains on his relationship with Laura. History shows that the event devolved into disaster with a crash so brutal that it brought an end to the legendary motorsports competition and saw Ferrari face an intense legal battle for manslaughter since it was one of the company’s vehicles that malfunctioned. Mann doesn’t spare any details on-screen, meaning Ferrari has a remarkably violent crash scene to drive home the impact of the catastrophic accident.

‘Ferrari’ Delivers a Big-Budget Award Contender With No Major Studio Ties

Despite a $95 million budget and plenty of promotion, Ferrari is an indie film made without any ties to major Hollywood studios. NEON, the home of hits like Triangle of Sadness, Parasite, and Anatomy of a Fall, worked with Mann to distribute the film in time for the holiday season, something the director was thrilled about considering this was a long-awaited project for him that he thought best fit the indie space where it would have room to breathe. Based on Brock Yates‘s acclaimed book Enzo Ferrari — The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine, the film is already earning accolades of its own thanks to a much-lauded run on the festival circuit. Thanks to its performances and Mann’s direction, it’s possible a few members of the team will be coming home with Oscar gold when award season rolls around.

In addition to the star-studded cast, Ferrari features a script written by The Italian Job scribe Troy Kennedy Martin and a score done by acclaimed composer Daniel Pemberton. The film hits theaters on Christmas Day. Read our review here for what to expect from Mann’s passion project and check out the posters above.

Ferrari

Set in the summer of 1957, with Enzo Ferrari’s auto empire in crisis, the ex-racer turned entrepreneur pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy.

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Director

Michael Mann

Cast

Shailene Woodley, Adam Driver, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Cruz

Runtime

130 minutes

Main Genre

Biography