Film industry insiders have pointed out that Apple has won the race to produce an upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt , following a bidding battle between major studios and streaming services.
Deadline reports that Apple Original Films is in exclusive negotiations to close a deal for the as yet untitled feature film. Star Brad Pitt will play a veteran race car driver who will come out of retirement to mentor a young driver as he seizes his last shot at glory on the track.
Amazon, Disney and Netflix, along with MGM, Paramount, Sony and Universal are in the running, though Apple has already secured a film package for Pitt to star opposite Ocean’s Eleven and Burn After Reading ‘s other lead, George Clooney, in an upcoming thriller , written by Jon Watts, best known for his recent Spider- Man franchise productions.
Legendary Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer is directing the F1 project, with director Joseph Kosinski and screenwriter Ehren Kruger . Bruckheimer’s last motorsports-themed film was Days of Thunder , the 1990 NASCAR blockbuster starring Tom Cruise.
Pitt is a big fan of motorsports, and had already been part of a project with Kosinski for a film based on Carroll Shelby called Go Like Hell , which – after years without managing to raise the necessary financing – ended up becoming Matt’s 2019 film. Ford’s Damon and Christian Bale vs. Ferrari, which raised more than $225 million.
Pitt also narrated Mark Neale’s 2015 MotoGP film Hitting The Apex , as well as having been the guest of honor at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The budget for the new production is estimated to be between 130 and 140 million dollars. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has already been linked with a role in the film, having previously appeared in the animated Cars franchise and being one of many star names to have a cameo in Zoolander 2 .
In an interview with ESPN in 2019, Hamilton stated that he “had a chance” to appear in Top Gun: Maverick , which was delayed in theatrical release, and also revealed that he had auditioned for a role in a Hollywood film.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be good at movies, but I’ll try,” he said at the time.
Hamilton has been silent since the end of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi, where he missed out on his eighth championship. He then collected his knighthood at Windsor Castle, appearing briefly at the Mercedes team factory in Brackley for the constructors’ title celebration and Valtteri Bottas’ farewell.
