Brad Pitt’s F1 Movie Will Be One Of The Most Expensive Made

With a reported budget of $300 million, the film is set to be the actor’s costliest project yet.

While Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie remains untitled, we’ve already gathered some important information in anticipation. From big names both on and off screen to the plot summary, here’s what we know so far about the upcoming racing drama.

READ ALSO: Film Legend: How Brad Pitt Became One Of The Biggest Stars In The World

Cast and Crew

Along with Pitt, the film’s ensemble cast includes Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Lewis Hamilton, and Sarah Niles.

Brad Pitt stars in an upcoming Formula 1 movie
Brad Pitt | Image via Wikimedia Commons

Pitt and Hamilton are also billed as the film’s producers along with Jerry Bruckheimer. Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, Top Gun: Maverick) is directing while Ehren Kruger wrote the screenplay.

The Story

According to Variety, Pitt described his character as “a guy who raced in the 1990s… who has a horrible crash, craps out, and disappears, then he’s racing in other disciplines.” 

Bardem plays his character’s friend, the owner of a last place team. He contacts him and asks him to mentor Idris’ character, who is the team’s new rookie prodigy.

Javier Bardem joins Brad Pitt's Formula 1 movie
Javier Bardem | Image via Wikimedia Commons

“You’ve never seen speed, you’ve never seen just the G-forces like this. It’s really, really exciting,” Pitt continued.

The Budget

In June 2022, Apple acquired distribution rights for the film with a $130 million to $140 million deal, Deadline revealed in an exclusive report. Meanwhile, Puck‘s Matthew Belloni reported that the film’s budget has reached $300 million.

This would make it one of the most expensive films ever made. The list includes blockbusters such as Star Wars, Jurassic World, Fast X, Pirates of the Caribbean, Avengers, and Avatar.

Example of a Formula 1 race
Formula 1 race | Image via Wikimedia Commons

There are a couple of reasons why the film’s budget has ballooned this much. For one thing, production began in July 2023, just a few days before the SAG-AFTRA strike began. This caused significant delays which led costs to rise.

The film’s actors were also put into real race cars. Pitt himself drove a modified Formula Two car during the British Prix weekend (though not in an official F1 race). Similar to Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick, this meant that actors had to undergo an extensive amount of training and enhanced safety protocols.

In addition to giving the audience a front row seat to the racing action, Hamilton also revealed that part of his role in the film is to make sure it stays authentic.

Lewis Hamilton signs onto Brad Pitt's upcoming Formula 1 movie
Lewis Hamilton | Image via Instagram @lewishamilton

“Just giving them advice about what racing is really about and what, as a racing fan, would appeal and what would not,” he told GQ. He also commended Pitt, saying “He’s genuinely got the abilities, the skills.”

What would it take for this film to become a success despite its rising cost? It’s not part of an existing franchise so it doesn’t have as much existing hype as some of the other films with huge budgets.

It would have to rely on Pitt’s stardom, Kosinski’s reputation for epic action films, and the continuing widespread appeal of racing to beat the odds.

Banner image via Wikimedia Commons.

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