The first look at Brad Pitt's F1, already being positioned as a summer 2025 blockbuster, is thin on story but big on vibes

Over the weekend we got our first look at Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie, now officially titled F1. It’s directed by Joseph Kosinski, and stars Pitt as a veteran racecar driver who comes out of retirement to show a younger driver, played by Damson Idris, the ways of the vroom in order to win.

The film also stars Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Shea Whigham, and a number of real-life drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz Jr., among others. It’s not due until next year, but this early look was probably meant to capitalize on the British Grand Prix, which was held yesterday, July 7, and was won by Lewis Hamilton.

I am sure F1 will be entertaining. Joseph Kosinksi has turned into a director who reliably makes large-scale spectacle (see also: Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion, Tron: Legacy), and the film stars a lot of people I like. The teaser is thin on story, but big on vibes, with lots of speedy racecars and incredible, driver-perspective shots of cars flying down tracks at top speed. F1 reunites Kosinski with Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer, so the intent here is clear—to do for F1 cars what Top Gun did for fighter jets. Also, Formula 1 is fully endorsing the film, posting the teaser to their YouTube channel and providing access and support to the production.

But rewind to last year and the dual Hollywood labor strikes. Remember when everyone wondered if Brad Pitt was a scab? This film, then referred to as Apex, didn’t shut down production when the actors’ strike was called last July. It took a couple weeks of people whispering about Pitt before the production shut down, and then Pitt was painted as a hero for standing in solidarity with his fellow actors. At the time, Lainey wrote: “…when the production finally decided to respect the terms that the union has set out for the strike, more than two weeks later, they’re trying to give him his flowers for standing in solidarity? That’s the Brad Pitt privilege in effect right there.”

Nobody who acted shady during the strike has that permanently branded on their reputation like a scarlet “A”, but Brad Pitt walked away especially easy for someone who didn’t stand with his peers until, basically, he was forced to. I do wonder, though, if changing the film’s name has anything to do with that. Back when the labor strikes were being reported, the film was referred to as “Apex”, so that title is tied to all the strike-related reporting. “F1”, though, has a clean SEO slate. It’s definitely not the only reason, Apex is generic and F1 tells you exactly what the movie is about, but I will always wonder how much that teeny tiny smudge on Pitt’s SEO factored in.

Between F1, which is already being positioned as a summer 2025 blockbuster, and the upcoming Wolfs co-starring George Clooney, we’re in for a year of Brad Pitt at the movies. Interestingly, both films come from Apple TV+, which is going all-in on the Brad Pitt business, it seems. After a string of high-profile box office disappointments like Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, and Argylle, they seem to be leaning on the old-school Movie Stars to get a win. But as I mentioned in re: the Wolfs trailer, the way everyone in Hollywood leans on Pitt is a reminder that “no matter what comes out of his many lawsuits happening on multiple continents, none of it will ever stick”.

To be fair, Tom Cruise, of a similar Hollywood stature, skates on the (alleged) human rights abuses of Scientology, so it’s not like Pitt is alone in using movie stardom to deep-six negative press. They’re entrenched in the power structure, and most importantly, they make a lot of people a lot of money. Though Cruise is struggling on that front, as Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is said to have cost $290 million, and Part Two is rumored to have eclipsed $300 million (per Matt Belloni’s Puck newsletter). This after Part One disappointed with “only” $567 million at the box office.

Similarly, F1 reportedly also cost over $300 million (once again per Puck), so there will be enormous pressure on it to deliver huge next summer, on top of Apple’s existing concern about their box office struggles. To date, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise have been basically invincible against any and all unflattering headlines because of their overall popularity and, most importantly, their box office value. But if they start LOSING people money? Those headlines will change quick.