Sylvain Chomet Does Fellini: The Thousand Miles

 Imagine the following setting: In early-1980s Italy, a pair of ageing brothers who, separated by the twists and turns of life, reunite through their shared life-dream to compete in Italy's Mille Miglia – a Brescia-to-Rome-and-back vintage car rally, said to be the world's most beautiful road race. The setting is not unusual for Sylvain Chomet and his many friends, who still remember the Tour de France in the Oscar-nominated The Triplets of Belleville.

 But this time it has a Federico Fellini touch.

 The new film by the French director is produced by the London-based Savoy & Gregory, and it is inspired by the Dolce Vita director's diaries and dream journals, including previously unpublished materials.  In a recent Variety interview, film producer Damien Gregory reveals that The Thousand Miles will feature a range of graphic styles, from quirky black-and-white cartoons of the 1920s to 1970s-style hallucinogenic pop art.

 The beginning of 2016 brings character design and storyboarding, followed by production animation featuring actors in a mix of 2D hand-drawn style, 3D computer animation (more extensive than in The Triplets of Belleville), and actors' contributions. Chomet writes the screenplay, which features more dialogue than these two earlier films (The Triplets of Belleville, The Illusionist), and Gregory promises an international A-list actor for voice acting.

Animation will take place in South France and Italy, while the film will move  to Canada for post-production.

 Sylvain Chomet's The Thousand Miles is scheduled for release in 2017.