Summary
- Brad Pitt's new sports drama is set to be his costliest project yet, with a budget of $300 million.
- The film, based around Formula One racing, features a star-studded cast and real F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
- Despite concerns about the high budget, Pitt's bankable star power could make the movie a must-see event.
Brad Pitt has a new sports-themed movie in the works, but the project's hefty price tag of $300 million is a cause for concern. Throughout his long and illustrious Hollywood career, Pitt has starred in many blockbuster movies. In fact, some of Brad Pitt's most successful films have gone on to make over $500 million at the worldwide box office. However, one of Brad Pitt's upcoming movies will not only be the costliest project of the star's career but also among the most expensive features ever made.
Over the years, Pitt has had the luxury of starring in smaller-budget indie films, award-winning dramas, and blockbuster hits. He's worked alongside some of the most acclaimed directors in Hollywood and co-starred with some of the biggest names on the planet. While Pitt has proven time and time again that he is a bankable star, in recent years, he has appeared in fewer big-budget movies. That's all about to change, however. Brad Pitt's next movie will be an expensive one, so much so that it's already set alarm bells ringing.
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What Is Brad Pitt's New Movie? His Upcoming F1 Film Explained
The Film Will Appeal To Fans Of The Sport
Pitt is set to star as Sonny Hayes, a former F1 racing driver pulled out of retirement to mentor a promising young racer.
Not much is known about Brad Pitt's upcoming sports drama, and the film's title is still yet to be revealed. What is known is that Pitt's project will be based around the world of Formula One. Pitt is set to star as Sonny Hayes, a former F1 racing driver pulled out of retirement to mentor a promising young racer. Still haunted by a horrific accident that led to him quitting, Sonny will have to overcome his demons to lead the Apex Grand Prix team to success. Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, and Javier Bardem will also star.
The movie will be directed by Joseph Kosinski, who previously had success with Top Gun: Maverick, a film that also set in a high-adrenaline world and was led by one of the planet's best-known movie stars: Tom Cruise. As well as the ensemble cast, the upcoming movie will also feature an appearance by real-life Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. Again, it's not known how large a role Hamilton will play, but the racer's involvement demonstrates how the film will be somewhat of a love letter to Formula One.
Brad Pitt will also serve as a producer on the upcoming movie.
Why Brad Pitt's F1 Movie Has A Reported Budget Of $300 Million
It's Up There With The Most Expensive Films Ever Made
Theoretically, a project of this nature shouldn't have such a large production budget of $300 million. After all, the movie is a non-IP sports drama, yet it has cost more to make than most superhero films. There are a few factors that have caused production expenses to balloon. The movie was one of several projects that experienced severe delays due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023. It went into production days before the strike began and, as a result, filming was halted for several months. In the world of cinema, time equals money, and the delays would've undoubtedly caused production costs to rocket.
Additionally, some of the movie's race sequences saw actual actors driving real race cars. Brad Pitt himself drove a modified Formula Two car during filming at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Putting actors behind the wheels of race cars is obviously something that could potentially be very dangerous. In order to limit the risks, extensive training and safety protocols would've needed to be implemented, and these, along with insurance, are far from cheap and would've added to the overall production and stunt costs.
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Why Brad Pitt's Formula One Movie Costing $300 Million Is So Concerning
The Film's Chances Of Being A Hit Look Very Slim
It's possible that Pitt's upcoming movie could end up costing closer to $400 million after additional costs are factored in.
Very few movies come with a price tag as substantial as $300 million, and the ones that do are usually not original sports dramas with no links to established IPs. For instance, some of the most expensive films ever made include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avatar: The Way of Water all of which belong to well-known franchises that have proven to be financially successful. By comparison, Brad Pitt's new movie, whatever it ends up being called, isn't an already recognized title.
|
Movie |
Budget (via Box Office Mojo) |
|---|---|
|
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides |
$250,000,000 |
|
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker |
$275,000,000 |
|
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom |
$170,000,000 |
|
Avengers: Age of Ultron |
$250,000,000 |
|
Avatar: The Way of Water |
$350,000,000 (estimated) |
Even films that belong to popular franchises sometimes struggle to make a profit, especially when marketing and distribution costs are taken into account. It's possible that Pitt's upcoming movie could end up costing closer to $400 million after additional costs are factored in. For reference, only three Hollywood titles have crossed the $400 million mark in 2024 so far, and all of them belong to established franchises. Furthermore, the film's narrow chances of making a profit will likely be off-putting to potential distributors, meaning the film might struggle to even make it to screens.
Why There's Hope For Brad Pitt's F1 Movie
It's Not All Doom And Gloom
There is one way Pitt's new film could still be a box office successful. In recent years, the titles that have done well at the box office have been ones that were marketed as must-see theatrical events. This was the case with Dune: Part Two earlier this year, as well as Barbie and Oppenheimer in 2023 (thanks to "Barbenheimer") and Kosinski's own Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. Pitt's movie isn't part of a big franchise, so if it stands any chance of being successful, it needs to sell itself as an event that can't be missed.
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Pitt himself is the advantage here, given that the actor has proven throughout his career that he is a bankable star. On top of that, Pitt doesn't star in as many films as he used to, meaning that a new Brad Pitt film could be an event in itself. Additionally, the fact that Pitt has been doing a chunk of the driving is akin to Tom Cruise doing his own stunts in Top Gun: Maverick and most of his other movies. It's likely, therefore, that Pitt and Kosinski will lean into this angle in order to sell tickets.
In the current cinematic landscape, where viewers need only wait a few weeks before a movie is added to a streaming service, more and more films are relying on the "must-see event" route to draw audiences in. The creators of Pitt's new film would be foolish not to do the same. Nevertheless, it is possible that the movie could go straight to streaming. This would certainly be a shame, given that the high-adrenaline nature of the film means it lends itself better to a theatrical release. Only time will tell whether Brad Pitt's $300 million risk will pay off.