18/06/2024
NEWS STORY
F1 and Apple Original Films have announced that the much-anticipated movie starring Brad Pitt, and co-produced by Lewis Hamilton, will be released in June 2025.
Yet to be given a name, the £125m blockbuster will be in theatres internationally from June 25th, 2025, and in North America from June 27, 2025.
Filming of the movie was delayed by last year's actors' and writers' strike in the US, however in recent days Pitt has been filming crash scenes at Silverstone, while filming will continue at next month's British Grand Prix and at several other races, before concluding at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.
F1 bosses are looking to the movie to build on the success that Drive to Survive had in winning over a new audience, and there is no doubt that Pitt, who plays veteran driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the grid years after retiring, is a major boost for the film.
"We want everyone to love it and to really feel that we encapsulate what the essence of this sport is all about," said Hamilton last year. "I don't know if this would have been possible ten years ago when the old management was in place. They wouldn't have perhaps seen this as an important step in terms of the sport's growth. But we've already seen the great work and impact of the Netflix show, and this will take it to new heights beyond that."
Interestingly, Hamilton, who is one of many co-producers, was a Mercedes driver when filming got underway, but when the movie is released with be sporting the red of Ferrari.
"Lewis was really intent that we respect the sport and show it for what it is," Pitt told Sky Sports. "I had no idea what it takes to be a driver. They are amazing athletes and I have got so much respect for all of them."
Apple has bought the rights to the movie, which is directed by Joseph Kosinski, of Top Gun: Maverick fame, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, for an estimated £125 million.
"The movie is a landmark for the sport and cinema," said F1 in a statement, "filmed in real-time during grands prix around the world and involving the Formula One community, including all 10 teams, the drivers, the FIA and race promoters. The new feature film is set in the exhilarating and cinematic world of Formula One and will immerse audiences in the spectacle of the most popular annual sports series, celebrating the skill and heroism of the drivers while showcasing the incredible challenge of competition in Formula One."