Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore, known for his works in Cinema Paradiso and Malena, has been attached as the director for an upcoming biopic of Bank of America founder Amedeo Peter Giannini. Titled The First Dollar, the film is about Giannini's role as a pioneer of the modern banking system, who also supported the fledgling Hollywood industry.
Tornatore is set to shoot the film in English with a star cast of Italian and International actors. The film marks the director's return to English films after a decade. His last English film was Correspondence, with Olga and Jeremy Irons. He has made two other English films, namely, The Legend of 1900 (1998) and The Best Offer (2013).
With his last two films being documentary - Ennio (2022) and Brunello: The Gracious Visionary (2025) - The First Dollar also marks Tornatore's return to feature films.
Born into a family of Italian immigrants in San Jose, California, Giannini started the Bank of Italy in 1904, which was rebranded into Bank of America. He created a motion-picture loan division and financed classics such as West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, and It's a Wonderful Life.