Miles Teller will star as Gino Bartali in an upcoming biopic about the renowned cyclist, who worked with the Italian resistance to help Jews during World War II.
Teller's role in "Bartali," which does not have yet have an expected release date, was reported Tuesday by Deadline.
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Bartali won the the Giro d'Italia – one of the most prominent stage races in the world – in 1936 and 1937. He then won the Tour de France in 1938, becoming an Italian hero. After the war, he won each race again – even though he had not raced competitively for years.
As a resistance agent, Bartali transported forged documents that helped Jews escape to Switzerland, cycling long distances under the guise of training, according to the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. He would hide the papers in the handlebars and seat of his bike. He also hid a Jewish family in an apartment he owned in Florence.
"I'm so excited to join this incredible project and bring Gino Bartali's inspiring story to life," Teller told Deadline. "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."
"Bartali" is being directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who won an Academy Award in 2018 for their documentary, "Free Solo," about rock climber Alex Honnold's attempt to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without a rope. They also won an Oscar in 2023 for "Nyad," a sports drama about simmer Diana Nyad, a 64-year-old marathon swimmer who swam from Cuba to Florida in 2013.
The movie is being produced by Vasarhelyi and Chin's production company, Little Monster Films.
Teller, a Downington native best known for his roles in "Whiplash" and "Top Gun: Maverick," also is set to co-star alongside Casey Affleck in "Wild Game," a thriller about on the hunt for a poacher, Deadline reported Monday. Teller also is working on the science fiction film "The Gorge" with Anya Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver, a Michael Jackson biopic and a romantic comedy titled "Eternity."