Robert DeNiro, Hugh Jackman in new Ferrari films

After several restarts and pre-race pitstops, the long-anticipated film on the life Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari, is back on track. And it will feature veteran Australia actor Hugh Jackman in the starring role.

According a report on deadline.com, Jackman will share the screen with Swedish actress Noomi Rapace. She’ll play the carmaker’s estrange wife, Laura.

The pending film has been considered for more than a decade. Michael Mann, the director and producer, and Academy Award winner Sydney Pollack collaborated until the latter’s death in 2008.

Christian Bale in 2015 was associated with the film in the title role. But he eventually declined the part, reportedly over health concerns in the required to gain weight for the role.

According to reports, the movie will primarily focus on 1957 and the competition between Ferrari and Maserati. The film will begin production later this year and is predicted for release in 2018.

Simultaneously, Academy Award winner Robert DeNiro, who was directed by Mann in the movie Hear with Al Pacino, is working on another movie about Ferrari, according to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. It will be filmed in Italy with a yet-to-be disclosed release date.

The DeNiro film is expected to examine a broader look at the carmaker’s life — from the 1940s until his death in the late 1980s.

Ferrari was last portrayed in a brief part in the 2013 film “Rush.” It was the Ron Howard-directed film that focused on the intense rivalry between Formula 1 drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Ferrari, played by Augusto Dall’ara, was shown sitting trackside reading a newspaper during an F1 race.