The trailer for a major awards-season contender has arrived with the first spot for Ford v. Ferrari. The sports drama is directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, Logan) and stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale. It might be gunning for Oscars, but it also looks like a heck of a lot of fun.
The movie takes place in the 1960s, when the Ford Motor Company entered the 24-hour Le Mans race in an effort to rival racing giant Ferrari and establish itself as a world leader in vehicle manufacturing and design. Ford had actually tried to buy Ferrari in 1963, but the deal fell through during the final negotiations when the Ferrari executives refused to hand their motorsport division over to Ford. For the next Le Mans, Ford made it their goal to stick it to Ferrari and avenge the broken deal.
The resulting motorsport arms race birthed the Ford GT and a whole lot of drama, making the 1964 Le Mans ripe material for a movie. Matt Damon plays car designer Carroll Shelby in the flick and Bale plays British driver Ken Miles.
As far as the trailer goes, it has a great energy, with plenty of sports-movie musing and lots of great dramatic teases. The racing perils look thrilling, too.
We’ll know if Ford v. Ferrari puts itself in pole position for the Oscars when it releases in November 15.
