Giorgio Armani's life to be made into a film – director on board

Ten months after the death of Giorgio Armani, a director has been found for a biopic about the life of the Italian fashion designer. Danish filmmaker Bille August, 77, known for “The House of the Spirits”, is set to direct “Armani: The King of Fashion”, as reported by industry publications Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.

Film producer Andrea Iervolino (“Ferrari”) is on board. August is a director who possesses the rare gift of revealing “the humanity behind the greatness”, the producer said in a statement. His cinematic work is characterised by “elegance, emotional intelligence and a remarkable respect for the lives he portrays”. Nothing has been announced yet regarding the cast.

World-renowned star designer

Star designer Giorgio Armani died on September 4 at the age of 91. Armani initially worked as a window dresser and buyer for the department store chain La Rinascente. This is how he met Nino Cerruti, the master of Italian menswear, in 1964. In the mid-1970s, Armani founded his own company with his partner Sergio Galeotti: Giorgio Armani SpA. This was the nucleus of a group that is now worth many billions. Since Galeotti's early death in 1985, the company has belonged solely to Armani.

For decades, Armani was one of the most important fashion designers in the world. He achieved his breakthrough in Hollywood in 1980 by dressing Richard Gere in “American Gigolo”. On the silver screen, he went on to dress Kevin Costner in “The Untouchables”, Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible” and Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”.

Award-winning director

Director August gained international recognition in 1987 with the film adaptation of the literary classic “Pelle the Conqueror”. The film won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, among other awards. His film “The Best Intentions” also won the main prize in Cannes. He had further success with “The House of the Spirits”, based on the novel by Isabel Allende; the bestselling adaptation “Smilla's Sense of Snow”; and “Goodbye Bafana”, about Nelson Mandela and his prison guard.

Armani Group speaks out

In response to the news, the Armani Group has distanced itself from the project, stating that the family believes "it is appropriate to reiterate" that it was not involved. "Despite being aware of the existence of Andrea Iervolino's "Armani: The King of Fashion" project, the Armani Group has never participated in the initiative, nor has it authorised, supported, or shared its development and implementation," a statement read.

"The company therefore declares itself completely unrelated to the project and distances itself from the director and its contents," it added.

This article was updated July 2, 14:00 CEST with a quote from Armani.