Miles Teller To Play Feted Italian Cyclist Turned WWII Hero Gino Bartali For ‘Free Solo’ Directors; North.Five.Six. & CAA Media Finance Launch For EFM
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: Top Gun and Whiplash star Miles Teller is set to play feted Italian cyclist turned WWII hero Gino Bartali in the biopic Bartali, which should be a strong proposition for buyers at this week’s EFM in Berlin.
Oscar-winning Free Solo and Nyad filmmakers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin are aboard to direct the feature, which will tell the impressive true story of Bartali, who became a national hero after winning the Tour de France in 1938 but whose career was put on hold for a decade following the outbreak of World War II.
In 1948, ten years past his prime, he would attempt to reclaim his title despite years without competitive racing. What’s even more remarkable – and came to light only after his death – is that during the war, Bartali joined the underground resistance, cycling across northern Italy to transport counterfeit identity documents, stuffed into the handlebars and seat posts of his bike.
The fake IDs helped Jews escape to Switzerland and his efforts are estimated to have saved hundreds of lives. Questioned and threatened as a potential enemy of the state, Bartoli did his best to keep his missions secret from his family in a bid to protect their own safety.
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