Brad Pitt's 'F1' sequel gets mammoth production update
Sonny Hayes is back. Brad Pitt will don the racing overalls once again with 'F1' sequel now officially in the works. The racing blockbuster, which was released last summer, was co-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and is nominated for four Oscars this year.
'F1' follows Pitt's Hayes, a veteran driver who returns to Formula 1 to change the fortunes of the fledgling fictional APEXGP racing team. Earlier, producer Jerry Bruckheimer dropped a crisp update on the speculated second film during the annual Academy Awards luncheon. "We're working on a sequel," he told BBC. At the time of writing, there was no concrete update on the cast, the plotline, or the release timeline for the second film.
Released last year, 'F1' was a critical and commercial success, raking in over $630m. It became Apple TV's most successful theatrical release. The film was extensively shot during the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons, with scenes shot simultaneously during race weekends. In the same chat with the outlet, Bruckheimer weighed in on the success of the film. "It was a long journey to get the movie made because we had to endure a couple of strikes – but in the end, the movie entertained audiences around the world," he said of F1. "I never worked with Brad Pitt before, and it's really a thrill to work with Brad."
At the end of the first film, Hayes is seen entering the Baja 1000 after winning the final race of the F1 season. Whether the film picks up from there or begins on an entirely new narrative remains to be seen. Some rumors suggested that there would be a crossover with Tom Cruise's 'Days of Thunder', though there has been no official confirmation.
In related news, director Joseph Kosinski revealed the attention to detail that was paid while making 'F1'. Speaking to Esquire, "I wanted to get that all right. That’s why the first person I talked to was Lewis Hamilton," Kosinksi said. "I reached out to him and asked him if he would help me, and thankfully, he did. Having a seven-time world champion on the team to make sure that we’re getting those details right – or at least as close to right as you can on a film – was invaluable."
"We want this film to work for Formula One fans, but we also want it to work for people who know nothing about F1. That was the challenge. You have to make a film that teaches an audience about a sport they don’t know anything about, with all the details and the rules to understand it, but it also can’t be dumbed down so that your hardcore F1 fan gets bored."
'F1' is streaming on Apple TV+.
