Apple is set to direct Brad Pitt's Formula One movie Top Gun: Maverick
Apple Studios has hired "Top Gun" director Joseph Kosinski: Apple confirmed Tuesday that it has hired "Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski to direct a Formula One movie starring Brad Pitt.
According to an Apple release, the plot of the untitled film will center on Pitt's return from retirement and his role as a driver competing in races alongside new drivers. The screenplay will be written by Ehren Crewe of the "Top Gun" series: seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is also among the producers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kosinski decided to make the F1 movie after a meeting with Hamilton arranged by "Maverick" star Tom Cruise. Apple has also signed a deal to release Hamilton's documentary on its Apple TV+ streaming service.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is expected to be streamed on Apple TV+, but will also be released theatrically, which was a key element of the agreement between the filmmakers and Apple. A release date has not yet been announced.
In Pitt and Kosinski's second attempt at a motorsports film, Deadline reported that the duo had set out to make a film based on the book "Go Like Hell" about the battle between Ford and Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pitt notes that Carroll Shelby played the role of Carroll Shelby. The project eventually became Ford vs. Ferrari, directed by James Mangold and starring Matt Damon as Shelby.
The Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive increased interest in F1, but few F1 films have been released theatrically.
John Frankenheimer's 1966 Grand Prix was a critical and commercial success, but F1 was largely absent from the silver screen until 2013's Rush, about the 1976 championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Sylvester Stallone reportedly wanted to make F1 the subject of his 2001 film Driven.
If the trailer for "Top Gun" is any indication: as the trailer for "Maverick" suggests, Kosinski knows how to put the audience in the cockpit of a fighter jet. Perhaps he could do the same with a Formula 1 racing car.
