Earlier this year, it was announced that Apple Original Films was making a Formula One movie starring Brad Pitt. The film is being helmed by Top Gun: Maverick director, Joseph Kosinski. In May, the news broke that Pitt would be driving a real race car in the British Grand Prix, which is taking place this weekend. According to ESPN, the race is ready for Pitt, and the film finally has a name: Apex.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“Brad Pitt has his own garage at Silverstone this weekend 👀 Filming for his new F1 movie ‘Apex’ will take place on-site for the first time at the British Grand Prix 🎬,” ESPN F1 wrote on Twitter. Apex is set to be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, and seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. 59-year-old Pitt is expected to play a driver who comes out of retirement. Based on the image shared by ESPN, Pitt’s character is named Sonny Hayes. You can check out the post below:
During the F1 Accelerate Summit in Miami, a panel about the film took place that featured Kosinski and Bruckheimer, and moderator Will Buxton revealed the Top Gun duo will be “creating an 11th team filming on track and on event from Silverstone [the track where the British Grand Prix takes place] to the end of the year.” Buxton took to Twitter in May to share some details about the panel.
“They’ve spent 18 months taking what they learnt on Top Gun Maverick to develop the smallest moveable 6k camera ever designed to take the viewer into the cockpit. A cockpit in which their stars will actually drive. That’s right. Brad Pitt driving an F1 car from Silverstone onwards,” Buxton shared on Twitter. “The car has been designed by Mercedes and is already testing (you may have seen a video online.) As are their actors, in sim and real life. Lewis Hamilton is in daily communication and is advising on storyline and script to ensure it’s the most accurate racing film ever made.”
He continued, “Joseph says Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix is his biggest touchstone. Both he and Jerry are determined to make the most accurate, most impressive race movie anyone has ever seen. Oh. And Tom Cruise has already offered to do some extra driving if they need him.”
In April, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali took part in an investor Q&A (via Sports Illustrated) and revealed Pitt’s film will be “quite invasive in terms of production. It’s something that we need to control, in a way, but it will be another way of showing that Formula 1 never stops.”
Are you excited about Apex? Tell us in the comments!