From Development Hell to Going Like Hell!

Today, the Disney-owned 20th Century Fox finally dropped the first trailer for James Mangold's 1960s set motorsport epic Ford vs Ferrari, or the extraordinary story of how the Ford Motor Company, through the efforts of a crack team of engineers and racing car drivers, took on racing giant Ferrari at the most daunting race of them all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While I feel the title could have been a tad more creative (like the title of the book "Go Like Hell" which narrated the events on which the film was based), the trailer itself did not disappoint in the slightest.

As I indicated here and here, this is a movie I have been eager to see for a long, long time. It's a film that's changed creative hands so many times in so relatively short a time that I'd begun to wonder if the production was cursed somehow, but seeing the trailer has basically allayed all of my fears.

That a film like this, with its hefty $100 million price tag, even got made given that Hollywood's current obsession is the next big extended/cinematic universe franchise, is honestly nothing short of a miracle. The fact that Fox has been acquired by Disney is icing on the proverbial cake considering that, even though the Mouse House didn't have a hand in making this film, judging by the trailer they've just cut they sure as heck know how to promote this. Right off the bat, they've zeroed in on the David vs. Goliath nature of the story, focusing less on Henry Ford II's obsession with defeating Enzo Ferrari (who humiliated him by offering to sell him his car company, only to pull out at the last minute and do a deal with Fiat instead) and more on the indomitable spirit of legendary racer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and his driver and good friend Ken Miles (Christian Bale). This is the kind of story that puts butts in seats.

Marquee names like Matt Damon and Christian Bale, both Oscar winners, as well as a highly-pedigreed director like James Mangold, who knows his way around both blockbusters and awards fare, have both given this film a shot at commercial success and awards glory, especially given its plum November release date.

Of course, it's too early to predict just what kind of business this film will do, but I for one, am definitely giving these guys my money.