Christian Bale, Matt Damon, and more have joined 20th Century Fox's Ford vs Ferrari movie, James Mangold's followup to 2017's Logan. After spending the last few years in the comic book movie world, Mangold is steering away from big blockbusters. He's repositioning himself in the dramatic genre and has been using the financial and critical success of Logan to line up several projects. Even though his Patty Hearst movie was cancelled, Mangold has been circling multiple other projects.

The one with the most heat is his adaptation of The Force, which secured a 2019 release date. He'd previously become attached to an adaptation of the children's novel Crenshaw as well as the American remake of Disorder. However, the latest one to get his attention is a Ford vs Ferrari racing movie, which has now secured a big portion of its cast.

THR confirms the casting of Christian Bale and Matt Damon for Mangold's Ford vs Ferrari film. Damon is set to play the role of Carol Shelby, the engineer who designs Ford's GT 40, while Bale will play the role of driver Ken Miles. The project also brought Outlander star Caitriona Balfe on to play Miles' wife, with A Quiet Place's Noah Jupe playing their son.

With Bale and Damon now officially attached, this immediately becomes a very prestigious project. The goal is for Mangold and his cast and crew to film the movie this summer. It does not currently have a release date, but it seems likely that the project will go into production sometime this year given that the studio is already rounding out the cast.

Based on the casting so far, it appears as though the script by Jez Butterworth and John Henry Butterworth (the duo behind Edge of Tomorrow) puts the focus more on Bale's Ken Miles than it does on the man who actually builds his race-winning vehicle. There should be plenty of other roles to cast, though, including possibly some major ones depending on how much attention is given to the Ferrari side of this race.

The focus on Ford's side of the story could help differentiate the film from the other Ferrari movie in the works. Michael Mann has been trying to get an Enzo Ferrari biopic off the ground for years. However, his will be set a few years earlier. At one point, Bale was actually set to star in that movie, so it's ironic how the casting has played out, especially with Hugh Jackman now attached for Mann's film. Regardless, though, it seems Mangold's Ford vs. Ferrari film is off to a great start.

Next: Logan Director & Writer Re-Team For The Force

Source: THR