Brad Pitt is reportedly set to star in a new Formula One drama.
Apple, who are making the film, apparently paid between $130-140 million for the rights to the film, beating out both Netflix and Amazon, as well as huge Hollywood companies like Sony and Paramount in a month long bidding war. Pitt is said to play an older veteran of the Formula 1 circuit. His character returns to the track after retirement as a mentor and teammate for a young driver starting his career.
Pitt is a bit of a controversial choice for the role, at the age of just 58. Modern Formula 1 drivers are considered in the height of their careers typically in their early 30s. And some, like Kimi Raikkonen, make it into their 40s before retirement.
Jerry Bruckheimer will be producing the film with the writer of the Transformers franchise, Ehren Kruger, writing the script. Lewis Hamilton will also be involved as a consultant. The project will be directed by Top Gun: Maverick director, Joseph Kosinski.
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The project is still in the development stage and is currently untitled, but apparently draws comparisons to the 2001 film, Driven. Sylvester Stallone stars in Driven, in a similar role to the one Pitt will play, as an older driver returning to the CART championship to mentor a younger racer.
While Driven turned out to be somewhat of a failure, it's exciting to see how this film develops. Though it's usually clear that racing films aren't created for motorsport fans, but for the general public who know little about the specifics. But with Hamilton working alongside the filmmakers, there is hope it could turn out to be a good film yet.