Joseph Kosinski’s Formula 1 Racing Movie With Brad Pitt Lands At Apple With 30-Day Theatrical Release

“Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski is making some moves. Coming off the hit Tom Cruise sequel and already earning a hefty $557 million worldwide after two weekends, the ‘Top Gun’ filmmaker is looking to helm another fast-moving movie with a massive A-list star.

Kosinski’s next film is a racing drama in the world of Formula 1 with Oscar-winner Brad Pitt attached to star and produce. Not only that, but Kosinski will reunite with ‘Maverick’ mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer and screenwriter Ehren Kruger.

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The Hollywood Reporter reveals after months of talks, Apple has landed the picture and is looking to release it in theaters for a window that could be between 30-60 days before dropping it on their streaming service as an exclusive. This move is a clear sign of streamers valuing the theatrical business, seeing its benefits, and perhaps looking at the data (HBO Max numbers, for example, show that films that are a huge hit in theaters, such as “The Batman,” then become massive hits on streaming too). Whatever the case might be, or whatever their motives, Apple will need a distributor partner. The company is coming off the success of “Coda,” the feel-good indie that they bought at Sundance in 2021 and then won the Best Picture Oscar, a huge feather in a streamer’s cap.

Pitt is set to play a Formula 1 driver who comes out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie against the titans of racing. It’s unclear what other actors will be starring alongside Pitt; Lewis Hamilton, a beloved driver of the sport, is involved as a producer and likely could play himself.

While we don’t know if a crowd-pleaser like ‘Maverick’ is going to be a shoo-in for Best Picture or technical awards, the pairing of Pitt and Kosinski seems to mirror other high-profile racing films like James Mangold‘s “Ford v. Ferrari” and Michael Mann‘s upcoming “Ferrari.” Mangold’s movie earned two Oscar statues after capturing four nominations.

In another high-profile move, Apple recently also secured the rights to Jon Watt‘s (“Spider-Man: No Way Home“) untitled Hollywood fixer film that stars Pitt and his pal George Clooney.