Is the Enzo Ferrari film back on track?

According to a report in Variety written by the publication’s International Correspondent, Nick Vivarelli, the long-awaited film biography of Enzo Ferrari may be back on track after years of sitting dormant.

The publication claims that Cecchi Gori Pictures is in Cannes, France, apparently looking for backers.

Ferrari, of course, is the late automotive and racing executive who built the company. He died in 1988 at the age of 90.

“It’s a beautiful tale of the story of Ferrari battling with Maserati for supremacy in speed, yet it’s not a racing movie: It’s a ‘Godfather’ movie with racing in it,” Cecchi Gori Pictures CEO Niels Juul told Vivarelli. He also said is in “advanced talks” with a “well-known U.S. director who has passion for the project.”

The script is by Troy Kennedy Martin (“The Italian Job”) and David Rayfield (“Out of Africa”). Juul told Variety the company has been scouting locations, and is working closely with Pam Yates, wife of automotive writer Brock Yates, who wrote “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races,” published more than 20 years ago. Brock Yates has been sidelined for the past few years with Alzheimer’s.

The movie has been rumored for almost as long as the book has been out. Vivarelli said it was once planned for 2004 with Sydney Pollack directing and Al Pacino in the lead, but the project died when Pollack did.

It seems likely that the success of Ron Howard's Formula One film "Rush" may be spurring this project ahead.