Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton F1 Movie: Everything We Know

• Lewis Hamilton is still aiming for an 8th F1 Championship but he already has a head start on his next career.
• A company won’t stray too far off track as he’s making a racing film with Brad Pitt.
• We’ve collected more details that have surfaced, including Pitt’s co-star Damson Idris.

Megastars Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton are teaming up for a new Formula 1 movie, and more details are beginning to emerge.

With the names already linked to the project, there is pressure to create a great film, but that hasn’t spooked the seven-time F1 champion.

“I have such high hopes for it,” Hamilton said in October. “I know we’re going to make the best racing film ever, both visually and we’re going to work to make sure we speak to the hearts of all these fans.”

Pitt and Hamilton aren’t the only big names on board directing the film. Below we take a look at the people involved and other details that we have already learned.

What is the name of the film and what is it about?

The movie doesn’t have a name yet, but we have a rough idea of ​​the plot.

According to IMDB, “The film follows a Formula 1 driver (Pitt) who comes out of retirement to mentor and team a younger driver.”

Who is making the film?

The film is being made by Hamilton’s new production company, Dawn Apollo Films, and Apple’s studio arm has landed the film. Apple TV is also making a documentary about Hamilton.

Apple CEO Tim Cook appears to have a direct interest in the making of the film, having recently attended the US Grand Prix in Austin, where he met with Pitt and Hamilton and waved the checkered flag to complete the race.

The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who created the recent Oscar-nominated blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced both Top Gun films and the popular NASCAR hit Days of Thunder, will do the same in this film.

Some of the technologies used in the Top Gun sequel are also used in this F1 film.

“I was particularly impressed by the technology that they showed us,” said Haas team boss Gunther Steiner in October. “They used it for ‘Maverick,’ I didn’t know it existed, so I think they’re the best right now to do something like that.”

Top Gun: Maverick writer Ehren Kruger will be in the same role in the film, though it sounds like he’s already getting help from Pitt and Hamilton.

“It’s a really cool project,” Hamilton, who is also listed as a producer and consultant, said in June. “For example, we’re already working on the script…which is fun to spend good time with Brad, which is pretty epic.”

When will the film be released?

We don’t have an official release date for the film yet. However, given the names involved and other similarities to Top Gun: Maverick, we can surmise a similar timeline.

Filming is set to begin in the second half of the 2023 season, according to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, and will take place at various locations throughout the F1 season to capture real drivers in action. According to Motorsport, Cook, Pitt and Hamilton met with F1 team bosses about the project and their involvement in the production of the film.

According to Deadline, Top Gun: Maverick took nearly a year to wrap up filming. The release date was originally planned for three months after that (it was later pushed back due to the COVID pandemic).

In a “potentially groundbreaking deal,” Apple TV will initially distribute the film in theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It will be exclusive to cinemas for at least 30 days before coming to Apple TV+.

If all goes well and this film follows a similar schedule to Maverick, we should be able to expect the film to hit theaters sometime in late 2024 or early 2025.

Who is starring in the film?

Pitt will play the lead, an F1 driver coming out of retirement to mentor a younger driver.

IMDB also lists Hamilton as part of the cast, although it looks like any presence he has on camera is limited to the action on track, alongside other current F1 drivers.

“I don’t plan on being there, no,” Hamilton told the media in June, later adding, “It’s going to take us drivers to be involved [filming the on-track action]. But we’re not actors… We don’t want this movie to be crap, so I probably won’t be in it either.”

Hamilton helps with the casting and the first step was finding Pitt’s co-star.

After some intense auditions as a driver, the producers settled on Damson Idris, according to Deadline. Idris is best known for starring in the FX series Snowfall.

Hamilton previously spoke about the process of selecting Idris.

“We’re going through a process of selecting the character that will be alongside Brad, which is exciting,” Hamilton said. “We have footage of them doing certain scenes and we got through it. I sat in the office with Jerry, Joe and Brad and we looked at them and kind of gave our opinions and what we think.”

While we don’t know who else will be getting roles in the film, rest assured the cast will be diverse, something Hamilton has been working on with F1 in real life.

“I think my responsibility is to make sure it’s diverse,” Hamilton said. “I want to make the film with diversity and representation in mind. I want it to be how Formula 1 should be in the future – or should be now, but will be in the future.”