Latest news with #ApexGrandPrix
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Top Gun: Maverick director says he cast Brad Pitt over Tom Cruise in his new F1 movie because "Tom always pushes it to the limit" and "that terrifies me"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski says he went with Brad Pitt for his new F1 movie over Tom Cruise – mainly for safety reasons. "Tom always pushes it to the limit, but at the same time is super capable and very skilled," Kosinski told Variety. "They both have the natural talent for driving. But yeah, I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more." Cruise is known for his death-defying stunts, going all out for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning by hanging from a biplane and holding his breath in a submarine quickly filling with water. In Top Gun: Maverick, the majority of the aerial stunts were done in real time and without CGI – with Cruise making the new, younger cast members undergo a bootcamp of sorts where they learned to fly for real. F1 stars Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s and had a horrible crash that forced him to retire from Formula One. Many years later, Ruben, A Formula One team owner and longtime friend, asks Sonny to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP). 'We'd have had a crash," action-vehicle supervisor Graham Kelly agreed. 'Tom pushes it to the limit. I mean really to the limit. That terrifies me. I mean, I've done loads of Mission: Impossibles with Tom and it's the most stressful experience for someone like me building cars for him, doing stunts with him. Whereas Brad listens and he knows his abilities, and I think he'd be the first to say, 'Yeah, I'm not going to do that.'" F1 is set to hit theaters on June 27. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brad Pitt Says F1 Drivers Face More Media Scrutiny Than A-List Actors: ‘Got to Have Thicker Skin Than Even Us'
Brad Pitt is frustrated by his lifetime of being in the media spotlight – but he says he's now aware that someone's got it worse after his experience with press in a GQ profile tied to the premiere of the actor's upcoming movie, 'F1.' Certain Formula One racers have said that actually getting into their car serves as a refuge of sorts from fan and media scrutiny. When asked if he felt the same way while making 'F1,' Pitt noted that he didn't see it that way. 'It's been an annoyance I've had to always deal with in different degrees, large and small, as I do the things I really want to do. So, it's always been this kind of nagging time-suck or waste of time, if you let it be that,' Pitt explained. 'My life is fairly contained. It feels pretty warm and secure with my friends, with my loves, with my fam, with my knowledge of who I am, that, you know, it's like this fly buzzing around a little bit.' Though he doesn't explicitly relate to that part of being a professional driver, overall Pitt noted his life as a celebrity helped him relate to the isolations these athletes feel. 'I think we've got it bad. But those guys are so scrutinized and that sport is so revered and there are so many of us that think we could do it, too, just because we drive a car fast down the freeway or something. They get so much s–t,' Pitt said. 'It is shocking to me. They've got to have thicker skin than even us.' The actor also opened up about his divorce from Angelina Jolie, which was finalized in December of 2024 following an eight-year legal battle. Pitt remarked that he didn't feel any different after his divorce was legalized. 'I don't think it was that major of a thing. Just something coming to fruition. Legally,' Pitt said. Directed by Joseph Kosinski with a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger, 'F1' sees Pitt play Sonny Hayes, a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s before suffering from a crash. The movie follows Sonny after he comes out of retirement to mentor Joshua 'Noah' Pearce for the Apex Grand Prix team. In addition to Pitt, the movie stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Javier Bardem. 'F1' is set to premiered in the United States on June 27. The post Brad Pitt Says F1 Drivers Face More Media Scrutiny Than A-List Actors: 'Got to Have Thicker Skin Than Even Us' appeared first on TheWrap.
Digital Trends
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
F1: The new footage of Brad Pitt behind the wheel looks incredible
Director Joseph Kosinski set out to make the most authentic racing movie ever made with F1. Judging by the new footage with Brad Pitt behind the wheel, Kosinski might have achieved his goal. Apple Original Films released the main trailer for F1, the upcoming sports drama from the filmmaker behind Top Gun: Maverick. Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is a driver looking for redemption after a career-altering accident in the 1990s nearly cost him his career. Hayes never lived up to his talent and became known as 'the greatest that never was.' 30 years later, Sonny gets a second chance from Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), his former teammate and owner of the struggling Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP). Ruben convinces Sonny to join his team and drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), a young phenom with much to learn. For someone considered an 'old school cowboy' and a 'lone wolf,' Sonny must learn that Formula One is a team sport. 'We all lose our jobs if you can't pull off a miracle,' says Kerry Condon's Kate, who works for APXGP. The trailer ends with sensational racing footage featuring Sonny's impressive driving skills as he expertly maneuvers down a straightaway. However, F1 also highlights the dangers of the sport and teases a potentially debilitating crash. 'How do you think I'd feel if you die on the track?' Ruben says in a voiceover while watching one of the cars spin out. Tobias Menzies and Kim Bodnia also star. Kosinski directs F1 from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger based on a story developed by the duo. Producers include Pitt, Kosinski, Jerry Bruckheimer, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Chad Oman, and seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton. While F1 features a fictitious story, the movie was filmed at the sites of several Grand Prix weekends from the past two seasons. Many Formula One drivers will appear in the movie, including Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri. F1 is one of the biggest gambles of the summer blockbuster season. The rumored budget is $300 million, though Kosinski and Bruckheimer dispute that number. Regardless of the exact number, F1 is still an expensive blockbuster based on an original idea, further adding to the risk. F1 hails from Apple Original Films and will be distributed in theaters by Warner Bros. F1 races into theaters on June 27.
The National
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
F1 film starring Brad Pitt to end in Abu Dhabi in 'spectacular' fashion
Abu Dhabi is where F1 will come to its 'spectacular' conclusion, the film's director Joseph Kosinski says. 'We end the film in Abu Dhabi, on this incredible track. That is just a spectacular way to end the film,' Kosinski says, speaking at an online launch event for the film's trailer. It isn't surprising that the film will draw to a close at Yas Marina Circuit. The track hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which has served as the final race of the F1 season annually since 2014, so it makes sense that the location is where the stakes in F1 are pushed to the metal. The Apple Original Films' title tells the fictional story of Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who was forced into retirement after a devastating crash. He is later convinced to return to the sport to mentor rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) for Apex Grand Prix. The fictional underdog team will seek to prove themselves against several of the motorsport's leading packs, including Ferrari, culminating in a high-octane finale at Yas Marina Circuit. We see a glimpse of the final race in the trailer, at just past the midway point, with cars flying past advertisements that read Etihad. The circuit's teal-coloured shoulder lanes are also visible. The scene is potent with adrenalin, alternating between wider shots and gripping first-person perspectives. Even in the trailer, the scene is informed by a sense of realism that Kosinski says sets the film apart from other motorsports titles. The film aims to 'capture the speed of the sport,' he says. However, the authenticity that Kosinski sought, required both technological developments and input from those who intimately know the world of Formula One racing. 'The first thing I did was I reached out to Lewis Hamilton,' Kosinski says. 'He lives that sport every day. He's one of the greatest of all time and I asked him to be my partner on making this film.' The director also sought the input of Toto Wolff, the team principal and chief executive of Mercedes in Formula One, who suggested using real race cars for the film, instead of trying to make a 'movie car fast enough'. 'We actually bought six F2 cars, and worked with Mercedes AMG, the Formula One team and their engineers to build real race cars that could carry our camera equipment recorders and transmitters for making this film,' Kosinski says. 'So every time you see Brad or Damson driving in this movie, they're driving on their own in one of these real race cars on a real F1 track.' The actors underwent months of training to prepare them for the driver's seat. Yet, there was a lot of natural talent to work with, Kosinski says, particularly in Pitt's case. "Brad had a lot of just natural ability right from the start,' he says. 'He rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it, but he's just a very talented, naturally gifted driver.' Hamilton, who is a producer on F1, also expressed fascination for Pitt's driving talent. 'Watching Brad drive around speeds over 180 miles an hour was really impressive to see because it's not something you can just learn overnight,' Hamilton said during a pre-recorded speech at the trailer launch event. 'The dedication and the focus that Brad put into this process has been amazing to witness.' However, while it is one thing to build and drive a car to Formula One speeds, it is another thing entirely to be able capture it on camera. Luckily, Kosinski had some know-how in filming objects moving at high speeds, particularly with his work on Top Gun: Maverick. However, fighter pilots may have been simpler to film than the drama and adrenalin in an F1 cockpit. 'The big challenge was just the camera system itself,' Kosinski says. 'We had to develop a brand new camera system, taking everything we learned on Top Gun: Maverick and pushing it much further. You can't put 60 pounds of gear onto a race car and expect it's going to perform the same way. We took those Top Gun cameras and we worked closely with Sony, sizing them down to something about a quarter of the size. And then on top of that, something I really wanted to do on this film was actually be able to operate and move the cameras while we were shooting, so we have motorised mounts on the car as well. So much research and technology and development went into just being able to roll a frame of footage, in addition to the training for the actors and the logistics of shooting at a real race.' That is right – the driving scenes in F1 were all filmed during real Formula One races – or at least in between them. It wasn't enough to just film at the actual racing circuits, Kosinski says, but it was imperative to shoot during race weekends, where the setting 'becomes this whole different world. Like a traveling circus'. The film was shot over three different periods, wrapping production in December at Yas Marina Circuit during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 'We couldn't just shoot at the track without the race going on. It would've been the wrong dynamic,' Kosinski says. 'We were actually there on race weekend with hundreds of thousands of people watching us finding these time slots between practice and qualifying, which Formula One graciously afforded us. "We'd get these 10 or 15 minute slots where we'd have to have Brad and Damson ready in the cars, warmed up with hot tires ready to go, and as soon as practice ended, they would pull out onto the track,' Kosinski says. 'We'd have 24 to 30 cameras ready, rolling, and I'd have to shoot these scenes in these very short, intense, high-speed windows.' All these elements have been incorporated with the aim of pushing the envelope of motorsports films. To capture the grit and thrill of a Formula One race as authentically as possible, and to deliver a moving story that, Kosinski says, resonates on a universal level, with themes of "friendship, teamwork, sacrifice and redemption". Or, as Hamilton put it: 'Brad Pitt, speed, thrills, an epic underdog story, drama, humor and a little bit of romance. This film has got it all.' F1 is set to be released in theatres across the world on June 25
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'F1' trailer: Brad Pitt impressed Lewis Hamilton driving 180 miles per hour for movie
With a promise from decorated Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton that this will be "the most authentic racing film you will ever experience," F1, starring Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, directed and co-written by Joseph Kosinski, is easily one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. In the newly released trailer for the film alone, you get the sense that Kosinski is very much putting the audience in the driver's seat, feeling the thrills and speed of racing. Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a 1990s Formula One phenom, but known for being "the greatest that never was." That's until he's approached by a former teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Bardem), owner of the fictional Apex Grand Prix team, with a proposition to come back to Formula One, alongside the team's superstar rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). "Some people look at Sonny Hayes, they see a guy who lives in a van. A gambling junkie who missed his shot. The best that never was. But I see possibility," we see Ruben tell Sonny in the trailer. "My rook is a phenomenal talent. But he's young. You plus him, boom, I got a team." 'I'm offering you an open seat in Formula One. The only place you could say, if you win, you are the absolute best in the world," Ruben tells Sonny later in the trailer. But Sonny and Joshua don't really see eye-to-eye. Sonny thinks Joshua is an "asshole," and Joshua thinks Sonny is a "dickhead." And that sets us off on this thrilling underdog story. Impressively, the film was shot on real Formula One tracks during real races, like Abu Dhabi, Monza in Italy and Las Vegas, in a attempt to bring a very authentic representation to the movie. "Every track has its own personality, its own character, and because we went to all of these places for real, you really feel like you've gone around the world when you watch the movie," Kosinski said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday. "So we were actually there on race weekend with hundreds of thousands of people watching us, finding these time slots between practice and qualifying, that Formula One graciously afforded us." "So we'd get these 10 or 15 minute slots where we'd have to have Brad and Damson ready in the cars, warmed up with hot tires ready to go, and as soon as practice ended, they would pull out onto the track. ... But the crowd you're seeing was really there in the stands. I don't think the crowd realized that Brad Pitt was in the car that was in front of them. And so there was definitely this heightened quality to every race. We were also shooting dramatic scenes on the grid before races." So how is Pitt's Driving ability? He has the seal of approval from Hamilton himself. "Watching Brad drive around speeds over 180 miles an hour (over 289 kilometres per hour) was really impressive to see, because it's not something you can just learn overnight," Hamilton said. "And the dedication and the focus that Brad put into this process has been amazing to witness." But ultimately, for these actors, it's pretty extraordinary have Hamilton as a driving instructor to prepare for the movie. "You have to be fearless and when you see Brad driving, that's not acting. He's really concentrating on keeping that car on the track and out of the wall during all those scenes," Kosinski stressed. "So that's something that you just can't fake, I think. I hope the audience feels that when they watch the movie." While the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive sparked significant interest in Formula One around the world, Kosinski was among the fans inspired by the series. "I found that it's an incredibly unique sport in that your teammate is also, in many ways, your greatest competition," he said. "And for me, that makes for a great drama. "I also loved how the first season of the show focused on the last place teams, the underdogs rather than the Ferrari, the Mercedes, the Red Bull, the teams that you see at the front of the pack. And I thought that there was an interesting story to be told about an underdog team in trying to not win the championship, but just trying to win one race against these titans of the sport. So that's where it started." But ultimately, for a racing movie, with a significant number of people primed for the experience of watching the film as racing fans and Drive to Survive enthusiasts, Kosinski was tasked with having to really translate that thrill of speed to the audience. In order to do that, the firs thing Kosinski did was reach out to Hamilton. "Having Lewis gave me this incredible in into this world, and one of the people he introduced me to was Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, and I started talking with them about wanting to capture the speed of this sport," Kosinski shared. "It was actually Toto who came up with the idea of, rather than making a movie car fast enough to kind of achieve these speeds, he said, 'Why don't you ... take a real race car and then work the cameras that you need into that.' So we did that." "We actually bought six F2 cars, real F2 race cars and worked with Mercedes-AMG, the Formula One team and their engineers, to build real race cars that could carry our camera equipment, recorders and transmitters for making this film. So every time you see Brad or Damson driving this movie, they're driving on their own in one of these real race cars on a real F1 track." While there seems to be much to enjoy for racing fans, Kosinski highlighted that there are plenty of other storytelling elements for the audience to enjoy in this story. "It has the tension you would expect in a movie like this with all the action, but at the same time there's real heart here, especially in the story of Sonny Hayes and this kind of redemption journey he's on," he said. "There's humour in there, there's some romance, there's a little bit of everything that you need to tell a fully fleshed out rich story like this."
