Miles Teller to Play Italian Cyclist & WWII Hero Gino Bartali in Biopic From Free Solo Directors
Miles Teller has signed on to star in the biopic for Free Solo directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Per Deadline, Teller will play Gino Bartali, a famous Italian cyclist who eventually played an integral part in the Italian underground resistance in World War II.
“I’m so excited to join this incredible project and bring Gino Bartali’s inspiring story to life,” said Teller in a statement. “He wasn’t just a cycling legend. He was a true hero who risked his own safety to help those who needed it most. Can’t wait for audiences to see the courage and heart behind his journey.”
Teller has not appeared in a movie or TV show since 2022, when he starred in Top Gun: Maverick, Spiderhead, and The Offer. Teller has several upcoming projects, including The Gorge, an Apple TV+ sci-fi horror streaming on February 14, 2025. Later this fall, Teller will play entertainment lawyer John Branca in the Michael Jackson biopic.
Bartali was a world-renowned cyclist, having won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the 1930s. Bartali gave up competitive cycling to serve in WWII. During the war, Bartali joined the Italian underground resistance and helped transport fake IDs and documents. These records then helped hundreds of persecuted Jewish people escape to Switzerland. After the war, Bartali returned to cycling and tried to become a champion one last time.
Oscar winners Vasarhelyi and Chin will direct Bartali from a screenplay by Karen Tenkhoff. This is Vasarhelyi and Chin’s first direct feature since 2023’s Nyad. Vasarhelyi, Chin, Teller, Tenkhoff, and Leslie Holleran will produce.
“The moment we read Karen’s script, we knew this was a film we had to make. It captures everything we love about storytelling – it’s about bravery, about perseverance and, ultimately, about what it means to have moral courage,” said Vasarhelyi and Chin. “With Miles attached to star in the title role, we know this epic tale will leave audiences hopeful, energized and inspired by Gino’s story.”
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