Biopic brings Gilles Villeneuve’s legend to the big screen

The remarkable early life of one of Formula 1's most charismatic icons is coming to the big screen. "Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend" charts Gilles Villeneuve’s extraordinary journey from snow-covered Canadian tracks to the threshold of F1 greatness.

The biopic is set to make its world premiere on Sept. 19, closing the Toronto International Film Festival. A theatrical release in Quebec will follow in November, ahead of a global launch in early 2027 – 50 years after Villeneuve made his F1 debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix.

Long before he became a Ferrari icon, whose exuberance at the wheel stood in stark contrast to his quiet, unassuming manner outside the cockpit, Villeneuve was a young man driven by an obsessive passion for speed. The film exposes the young, untamed racer of the 1970s who developed a spectacular driving style and flatly refused to accept conventional limits or the laws of physics.

"Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend" features an uncannily accurate portrayal by Québécois actor Rémi Goulet in the title role. The film explores his defining formative years: the triumphs and setbacks, the risks and sacrifices, the unbreakable family bonds and relentless pursuit of speed that defined Gilles Villeneuve.

For Gilles’ son, 1997 F1 world champion and 1995 Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve, seeing those formative years brought to life proved intensely personal: “Watching the trailer, it was difficult to hold back the tears," he said. "And I love that it focuses on the early years, the years no one but our family knows about. 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.

“Most memories I have of my father are of either racing or doing something else where he was pushing to the limit; whether it was on skis, or driving his pick-up truck, or flying the chopper. But my earliest memories go back to when we lived in a trailer on blocks across the road from my grandparents’ house in Berthierville. If I think about it now, I wouldn't want to live there. But back then, it felt fun. My father’s main motivation and focus was racing.

“I always knew I was going to be a racing driver. It was just a matter of when. It didn’t cross my mind that there was even a chance of it not happening. For some reason I just knew it was my destiny. Was there an element of wanting to step into his shoes? Never. His shoes were very different, anyway.”

The project itself began with a leap of faith. Gilles’ daughter, Melanie Villeneuve, took a chance on a vision to honor her father, a journey that ultimately brought her into the heart of the film as executive producer.

“When I started on this journey, I wanted to understand my father's public legacy and reclaim our family heritage,” she says. “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 favorite driver. He lived with vision and purpose, taking one step forward every day. This is a story of profound passion and perseverance.”

Set against the Canadian landscapes and the racing culture of the 1960s and ‘70s, the film brings to life the atmosphere of an era when racing was visceral and dangerous.

The film captures Gilles’ early obsession with speed, from steering on his father’s lap to teenage joyrides that left the family car in pieces. He cut his competitive teeth in snowmobile racing, winning multiple championships while also revealing little-known abilities as an engineer and innovator, revolutionizing snowmobile design.

A Formula Atlantic champion in Canada and the U.S., Gilles’ breakthrough came in 1976 at Quebec’s Trois-Rivières circuit, where he took on and beat several Formula 1 stars of the day, including James Hunt, who would claim the F1 world championship a month later. Hunt reported back to McLaren that they should give the Canadian kid a shot at F1.

To recreate his historic Ferrari tests and iconic races, production took over Parc Jean-Drapeau’s iconic Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, using meticulous replicas built by Race Car Replicas – the Hollywood firm behind "Ford v Ferrari." Amazingly, no replica was needed for the Ford Mustang Boss 351: it is the actual car Gilles bought and enhanced. The vehicle has remained in the Villeneuve family ever since.

While his tragic 1982 death at Imola is well documented, much of Gilles’ family life is an untold story. The film highlights how important his wife and children were to him, bringing them along for the ride and making a trackside motorhome their home so the family could stay together. Gilles even sold the family home to fund a race seat without informing his wife, Joann, until it was time to pack.

To this day, Villeneuve’s memory remains very much alive. Imola and Zolder both have corners named after him, a bronze bust stands at the entrance to Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit and, in Canada, the Montreal circuit bears his name. Earlier this year, the government of Quebec officially designated Gilles Villeneuve a Personnage Historique (an historic figure) as part of the province’s Cultural Heritage program.

For Québécois director Yan Lanouette Turgeon, the 10-year development process was a profound duty.

“I remember May 8th, 1982, the day Gilles died. I remember my parents, where I was, the feeling in the house when we heard the news," he recalled. "When I came onboard a couple of years ago to direct this film, the day I shook producer Christian Larouche’s hand to commit was May 8th. When I told him the significance of this date, his hair stood on end. We were like, OK, maybe it’s a sign.

"This is a movie that’s been in the making for a long time. It has been in development for 10 years. My feeling from the get-go, as soon as I was involved in the project, was that Gilles Villeneuve’s story needs to be told. 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.”

At its heart, "Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend" is a story about an ordinary person who became extraordinary. It is a portrait of a driver who believed in his ability long before the rest of the world did.

With its combination of high-octane racing action, family drama and the period detail of a pivotal era in motorsport, the film aims to introduce a new generation to Gilles Villeneuve while offering those who remember him a fresh perspective on the man behind the legend.