Brad Pitt is set to star in a new Formula One movie directed and produced by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer.
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The film production team has revealed that they will create an 11th team for the movie in consultation with the Mercedes F1 team, and that filming will take place “on track and on event” at actual F1 race meetings. The actors, including Brad Pitt, will be filmed in the cockpit of a slower mock-up F1 car, captured by compact camera rigs similar to those used in Top Gun: Maverick.
Contrary to earlier reports, Brad Pitt will not be driving an actual F1 car for the film, but rather a more manageable junior F2 or F3 car that has been modified to look like an F1 car. According to Variety, Pitt will not be competing against other drivers on the track either. Nevertheless, filming at actual F1 race meetings is expected to give the movie a level of authenticity and spectacle that made Top Gun: Maverick a global hit.
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The currently untitled movie, which has been acquired by Apple, presents a massive marketing opportunity for F1, as the sport continues to grow in popularity, particularly in the U.S. and with younger audiences, thanks in part to the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive. F1 owner Liberty Media is hoping the film will take the sport to the next level.
In the movie, Pitt will play a retired driver who comes out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie driver against the titans of the sport. His teammate will be played by British actor Damson Idris. The actors are already practicing on track and using simulation rigs, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is a consulting producer on the film.
Although Pitt’s involvement in the film has been generating buzz, there are some practical considerations to filming at an actual F1 race meeting. The actors and film crew will not be allowed to interfere with the integrity of the race event for sporting and safety reasons. Racing licenses for drivers are strictly regulated, and it takes years to acquire one at F1’s level. Special filming sessions, possibly involving some of the actual F1 teams and drivers, will be scheduled around the rest of the race event.
The film team will be hoping to create the most accurate and impressive race movie ever made, according to Will Buxton, who hosted a panel with Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer at the F1 Accelerate Summit in Miami. Buxton noted that Kosinski’s “biggest touchstone” for the film is John Frankenheimer’s 1966 movie Grand Prix, which featured cameos from a number of contemporary F1 drivers and used footage shot at real race events.