Throughout his career, Christian Bale has turned yo-yo dieting into an art form. Literally. While many actors may shy away from piling on the pounds, bulking up or starving themselves within an inch of death, for Bale that type of method acting only proved his dedication to the craft. It’s been a bit barmy watching him balloon and then suddenly – POP! – back to his regular size, and it looks as if he hasn’t got the energy to chow down on anymore deep fried pizzas. The actor has left Michael Mann’s Enzo Ferrari biopic due to this very issue.
Deadline reported the news, citing “health concerns” as the main contributing factor toward his departure. Coming straight off The Big Short, where he’s pretty much normal size, Bale would have had to hit the carbs with a shovel to reach his target weight to play the iconic Italian racing car driver. Production on Enzo Ferrari is due to commence this spring, leaving Bale no option but no exit the movie.
Bearing in mind that Mann has been developing the movie for over fifteen years, you might think he’s a little disgruntled at today’s news, but he’s diving back into casting and has several “heavyweight actors” in his crosshairs. Whoever bags the part will be taking a trip back in time, to 1957, where the hilarious and devastating tale of the Ferrari founder begins.
Based on Brock Yates’ book Enzo Ferrari, The Man, The Cars, The Races, Mann began work on the film with Sydney Pollack prior to his death, bringing in Edge of Darkness‘ Troy Kennedy-Martin to pen the first script, which Mann reworked with David Rayfiel.
Tell us, who do you think should take over from Bale in Enzo Ferrari? Sound off in the comments below!
