Apple Races To Land Formula One Movie Starring Brad Pitt
The holidays are over, the new year has begun, and everyone is (begrudgingly) returning to work. That vicious cycle applies to Hollywood just as much as it does to the rest of us, as Apple is wasting no time at all kicking things off in style for 2022. While most people were busy polishing off Christmas dinner leftovers and nursing New Year's hangovers, the streaming studio separated itself from the pack and entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire the rights to a Formula One racing movie that would star Brad Pitt, a name-brand actor who clearly knows a thing or two about looking impossibly cool behind the wheel. Once negotiations reach the finish line, this project would be touted as the first major film acquisition of the year. Check out all the details below!
Brad Pitt and Joseph Kosinski Team Up
The news of Apple circling this Formula One racing project along with producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes courtesy of Deadline, who describe the plot of the film as, "Brad Pitt playing a racer who comes out of retirement to mentor a younger driver and take his final stab at glory on the track as the younger driver's teammate." However, the project doesn't even have a completed script at this early stage, only an untitled pitch.
The developing film will be directed by filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, who was most recently hard at work putting the finishing touches on "Top Gun: Maverick" and is known for previous genre efforts such as "Tron: Legacy" and the Tom Cruise-starring "Oblivion." The script is being written by Ehren Kruger, who is one of the credited writers on "Top Gun: Maverick" and has also worked on the 2019 live-action "Dumbo" remake, "Ghost in the Shell," three "Transformers" movies, "The Ring," "Reindeer Games," and "Scream 3."
Of course, this isn't the only major project Pitt has recently added his star power to. Back in September of 2021, we learned that Pitt and George Clooney would be reuniting for a thriller from "Spider-Man" director Jon Watts, which Apple also acquired. According to Deadline, the studio is sparing absolutely no expense for this latest Pitt project, ready to spend upwards of $130 to $140 million. This also isn't the first time Pitt and Kosinski have attempted to produce a racing film, having previously collaborated on a movie titled "Go Like Hell." This eventually turned into James Mangold's "Ford v Ferrari," which covered similar material about Carroll Shelby (played by Matt Damon) and his relationship with driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale).
Stay tuned to /Film for more updates on this project as they come in.