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Lewis Hamilton 'Very Involved' in Apple's Brad Pitt Formula 1 Movie From Top Gun 2 Director

"He's like a fighter pilot 12 inches off the ground," says Maverick director Joseph Kosinski.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read
Lewis Hamilton speaks into a mic in front of a Monaco 2022 sign

Record-breaking racing driver Lewis Hamilton is getting into the movie business with Brad Pitt and Apple.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Apple has revealed it's backing a new Formula 1 movie from Brad Pitt, legendary blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. And the other big name on the team is F1 legend Lewis Hamilton, who Bruckheimer says is "very involved."

I talked with Kosinski and Bruckheimer in London recently as they did press for Top Gun 2. While they couldn't say much about the as-yet-untitled Formula 1 movie, they described it as "percolating," with Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger working up Kosinski's idea. 

The film will see Pit play a retired F1 driver getting back onto the track with a hotshot young racer. Unusually, Apple is reported to be giving the film a monthlong theatrical release before releasing it on streaming service Apple TV Plus.

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton gave the filmmakers the inside track on the sport. "His expertise is phenomenal," said Bruckheimer. "It's just great to listen to him, picking his brain with a writer and Joe on Zoom messages as they pitch the story. It's the same thing as working with our fighter pilots [on Top Gun]."

Kosinski added, "He is like a fighter pilot -- 12 inches off the ground!"

Hamilton became the youngest-ever F1 champion in 2008 and holds the record for the most race wins in the sport. He currently drives for Mercedes. 

Formula 1 racing has appeared in movies before, from 1966's Grand Prix with James Garner to Ron Howard's 2013 true-life story Rush. F1 is also having a bit of a moment thanks to the gripping Netflix behind-the-scenes reality series Drive to Survive.

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