Fans Are Absolutely Fuming Over Brad Pitt's Grand Prix Behavior
Brad Pitt is bringing the high-octane world of Formula 1 Racing to Hollywood. Through his Plan B production company, the "Bullet Train" star is co-producing a film about a former F1 driver who returns to the racetrack to help a newcomer pursue glory. Pitt decided to put himself in the driver's seat by starring in the movie, according to Deadline, so, when you're going to be playing a competitor in a sport with passionate fans all around the globe who will be closely scrutinizing your every move, you better do your research.
Pitt already has someone on his team who can help him learn all the lingo, track traditions, and racing protocol: his fellow producer, Formula 1 champ Lewis Hamilton. Pitt also headed to Austin, Texas, to attend the U.S. Grand Prix on October 22, where he was spied speaking to racing industry heavyweights, including Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula One Group, according to Fox News. Domenicali told Motorsport.com that he has all F1 racing teams collaborating with the untitled film's production crew, and parts of the movie will actually be filmed during race weekends. This will give Pitt plenty of time to make amends with a Formula 1 racing legend whom he seemingly snubbed at the U.S. Grand Prix — perhaps by offering him an apologetic cameo?
Brad Pitt angered fans by racing past Martin Brundle
Brad Pitt got social media-shamed by royal reporter Omid Scobie and others for his treatment of Martin Brundle, a Sky F1 reporter and former F1 driver, who has earned a reputation for awkwardly interviewing celebrities during his grid walks. At the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix, rapper Megan Thee Stallion turned down Brundle's request for a freestyle rap about racing before he got shooed away by her security team, per Jalopnik.
But because Pitt has been immersing himself in their sport so fully, some racing fans expected him to make a little time for the commentator. The actor was filmed brushing right past an eager Brundle, who managed to lob one question at the star about his F1 movie before he raced away. (All Pitt would say was that it's "top secret.") Brundle was unfazed watching Pitt and his entourage disappear in the distance as he quipped, "Obviously, they're known as 'Pitt stops' if they don't want you to talk to Brad Pitt."
F1 fans were outraged on Brundle's behalf, with one person tweeting, "Lost some respect there for Brad Pitt. He obviously dont know much about F1 if he dont know Martin Brundle smh." Another wrote, "Well. This will be one movie I'm not going to." But Pitt's co-producer does not make time for Brundle, either. "Lewis [Hamilton] used to talk to me a lot and then stopped," the commentator told British GQ days before the Pitt brush-off.
Lewis Hamilton made a big boast about the racing film
Everyone involved in Brad Pitt's Formula 1 film seems to be banking on it being a big hit, and its publicity machine has been fully revved up. According to Deadline, Apple has so much faith in the project that the streamer fought off fierce competition in a bidding war and awarded the filmmakers with a budget of around $140 million. So we're just guessing everyone involved will be more than happy to leave the Martin Brundle incident in the dust and get back to focusing on the film itself. Lewis Hamilton did his part by making a bold prediction. "I know we're going to make the best racing movie that's ever existed," said the racing icon, per F1I.com.
Director Joseph Kosinski, who scored a big win with "Top Gun: Maverick" — according to Box Office Mojo, the sequel to the beloved classic starring Tom Cruise raked in more than $1.4 billion worldwide — will also head this big-budget endeavor. Kosinski told TheWrap he hopes to replicate that success with the Formula 1 film by taking a similar approach and limiting the use of CGI. "Younger people almost haven't seen a lot of [real photography]," he said. "They're so used to CGI being a tool of big movies that when you shoot something for real, it feels innovative."
Brad Pitt almost starred in another racing movie
In 2013, Brad Pitt and Joseph Kosinski almost teamed up for a different movie set in the world of automobile racing. Kosinski spoke about the failed project during Comic-Con@Home in 2020, revealing that it was to be titled "Go Like Hell." Pitt was initially attached to play racecar driver Ken Miles, who famously finished in second place in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Pitt got a small taste of what that competition was like when Alex Wurz took him for a lap at the event in 2016, per Metro.
The film would have seen Pitt reunite with his "Interview with the Vampire" co-star Tom Cruise, who was set to star as Carroll Shelby, the designer of Ford's Shelby Mustang GT350. "I got to the point where I had Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt at a table read, reading the script together," Kosinski recalled, per Collider. But he couldn't get the budget right, and the project languished for a few years before getting retooled as "Ford v Ferrari," with Matt Damon and Christian Bale starring and James Mangold directing.
Now, Kosinski is looking forward to working with Pitt on fulfilling his dream of bringing his own vision of a racing film to the masses. "It's going to be a huge challenge but an exciting one for me," the director told TheWrap.