Christian Bale has left the role of iconic car maker Enzo Ferrari in a highly anticipated biopic from director Michael Mann, citing an unwillingness to put on weight, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Bale, who is well-known for both shedding and gaining pounds in the name of his art, is reportedly concerned that losing too much weight over a short period – Mann’s film is due to shoot in the spring – might be damaging for his health. Producers now hope to recast the part as quickly as possible so as to avoid delays.
Bale, who lost a reported 60 pounds for 2004’s The Machinist and put on 40-50 pounds to play conman Irving Rosenfeld in 2013’s American Hustle, signed on to play Ferrari in August. Mann’s film, titled Enzo Ferrari, is based on Brock Yates’ 1991 book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races. The director of Heat, Collateral and The Last of the Mohicans has been working on the project, which is reportedly set in 1957, for 15 years.
Mann’s film is one of two Ferrari biopics in development, with Robert De Niro having reportedly signed on for an alternate look at the legendary car manufacturer. De Niro’s project, titled simply Ferrari, comes from Italian producer Gianni Bozzacchi and will look at the magnate’s life from the 1940s to the 1980s. Ferrari founded his famous marque in 1929.
