A feature-length biopic charting the early life of Formula 1 legend Gilles Villeneuve will make its world premiere later this month, before a wider theatrical release in 2027.
Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend will close the Toronto International Film Festival on September 19, with a Quebec cinema release scheduled for November and a global launch planned for early next year.
The timing coincides with the 50th anniversary of Villeneuve’s F1 debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix.
The French-language film focuses on Villeneuve’s formative years in Quebec, tracing his rise from snowmobile racer to Formula Atlantic star and eventual F1 prospect.
Québécois actor Rémi Goulet plays Villeneuve, while director Yan Lanouette Turgeon said the project has been more than a decade in development.
“For me, Gilles Villeneuve’s story needed to be told,” said Turgeon. “He was such an interesting character. He remains a monumental figure in Quebec and in Formula 1, and a movie had never been made about him.
“I felt I needed to be the one to make this movie, and the timing is perfect as interest in Formula 1 has never been greater.”
Villeneuve’s son Jacques, the 1997 F1 world champion, said he was particularly pleased that the film explores a period of his father’s life that has largely remained out of the public eye.
“Watching the trailer, it was difficult to hold back the tears. And I love that it focuses on the early years, the years no one but our family knows about,” Jacques Villeneuve said.
“Most biopics focus on when someone’s in their prime. They give the audience what they already know, whereas this film shows the building blocks.”
The film revisits Villeneuve’s upbringing in rural Quebec, his emergence as one of North America’s leading snowmobile racers and his success in Formula Atlantic competition.
It also depicts the pivotal 1976 Formula Atlantic race at Trois-Rivières, where Villeneuve defeated several established F1 drivers, including that year’s eventual F1 world champion James Hunt, helping to put Villeneuve on the radar of grand prix teams.
Production included filming at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which was renamed in his honour following his death in 1982. Replica period racing machinery was supplied by Race Car Replicas, the company behind the cars used in the film Ford v Ferrari.
The project has involved Villeneuve’s family throughout its development, with daughter Melanie Villeneuve serving as an executive producer.
“When I started on this journey, I wanted to understand my father’s public legacy and reclaim our family heritage,” she said.
“I wanted to ensure his memory was preserved by those who loved him most.
“The film charts the incredible rise of a working-class man from rural Quebec who became Enzo Ferrari’s favourite driver.”
