'Ford v. Ferrari': Release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything you need to know about Ford's attempts to pip Ferrari at the 24 Hour Le Mans
The action-packed 'Fast and Furious' franchise gave the world a glimpse of some insanely fast cars while 'Rush' chronicled the famous James Hunt vs. Niki Lauda rivalry that spiked adrenaline like no tomorrow. And looking at the upping the ante is 'Ford v. Ferrari' slated to hit screens this year. Ever since the announcement that an action biographical drama would be made on the legendary battle between Ford and Ferrari, fans couldn't wait for a first glimpse of the Matt Damon and Christian Bale starrer. A high-octane trailer was released Monday and here's what we know about the film so far.
Release date:
'Ford v. Ferrari' will vroom into theaters November 15.
Plot:
Based on true events, 'Ford v. Ferrari' follows engineer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and race driver, Ken Miles (Christian Bale) who team up to build a car for the Ford Motor Company that could potentially defeat Ferrari. The events of the movie are set in 1966 and chronicle their experiments leading up to the 24 Hours Le Mans in France.
Cast:
Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby
Matt Damon stars as Carroll Shelby, the engineer who was asked to build a race car that could go faster than the Ferrari at the 24 Hours of the Le Mans. He builds a Ford GT40 to challenge the Italian 'Prancing Horse'.
Christian Bale as Ken Miles
Christian Bale plays Ken Miles, a young driver with a penchant for speed. Miles became synonymous with Le Mans '66 and was Shelby's go-to man to put the Ford in its paces during trials.
Supporting cast include Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca and Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II.
Writer/Director:
James Mangold will direct a film about the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari leading up to the 1966 Le Mans race based on a previous script by Jason Keller, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth.
Trailer:
The trailer opens with Miles (Bale) and his son staring at a race track where Miles is shown saying, "Out there, is the perfect lap", when his son replies with the affirmative, the wiry-looking Miles says, "Most people can't." Meanwhile, Shelby is approached by Henry Ford II to build the fastest car ever seen, one that could top the Ferrari.
Damon's Shelby vouches for Miles as he says, "It ain't about speed, you need a pure racer behind the wheel of your car. That’s Ken Miles," and much to Ford's chagrin, Miles comes in as the driver as he milks the car to the absolute limit. The just over two-minute clip includes several crash scenes that see the 60's cars flying around while Bale evades them on the track and footage of the car that would be Ferrari's potential competitor.
News:
Initially, 'Ford v. Ferrari' was going to star Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt from an original screenplay by Jason Keller, which later fell apart.
If you are looking forward to enjoying 'Ford v. Ferrari,' these movies may be right up your alley:
'Rush', 'Need For Speed', Fast and Furious', 'Gone in 60 seconds', 'Ronin' and 'Days of Thunder'.
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