By: Qinwei Wu
Over the years, Hollywood has produced many car-racing movies and films. “Ford v Ferrari”, “Grand Prix”, and “Le Mans”, just to name a few. Recently, it has come to the public’s knowledge that a new car-racing film is in the making. The film-which is yet to be named, is about a fictional car-racing team, called APXGP, set in the world of Formula One.
From Apple Studios, Plan B Entertainment and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, the movie stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris as two of APXGP’s drivers, Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce. In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Pitt says he will be playing “a guy who raced in the ’90s, has a horrible crash, kind of craps out, disappears and then races in other disciplines.”
Joseph Kosinski, known for his film “Top Gun: Maverick,” is the director of the film. Kosinski said, “Our aim is to make one of the most authentic racing films ever”. Using techniques developed from “Top Gun: Maverick,” cameras will be placed around the track during the Grand prix season and the APXGP card will look like they are actually racing.
To help with the authenticity of the movie, Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula 1 champion, was made an Executive Producer. “I’ve spent time with Joe, trying to make sure we’ve got the best camera positions,” Hamilton said.
Brad Pitt, 59, had never had any experience with racing, and Hamilton is impressed by his driving skills. Hamilton said, “We did do a day together at a track in L.A., and for someone who hadn’t raced, he’s definitely got a keen eye”.
Pitt had been at the drivers’ briefing at the Silverstone circuit or the British Grand Prix to discuss issues from the previous filming, and George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, said it was “quite surreal” for Pitt to have been there. Russell said, “It’s only when you get to be with those individuals — whether it’s Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or Roger Federer…that you recognize they’re just normal human beings. He was joking around, having a good time and just being one of the boys.”
The Chief Executive and President of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali, said that the chance to create a film about Formula One was just “too good to turn down.” “When we were approached about the possibility of this movie, I thought it would be another fantastic way for fans to see what an amazing sport we have and to hopefully open it up to an even wider audience than we have now”, Domenicali said.
However, Domenicali highlighted that, “It needs to be authentic in order to show the real Formula 1”.