While the world of Formula One continued its relentless path forward, the F1 movie being produced by Lewis Hamilton ground to a half in 2023. The actor and writers strike in the USA impacted the schedule for filming as the dispute dragged on for several months.

Brad Pitt is set to star in the unnamed movie and he together with the production team were seen filming at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix back in July. Pit in his racing overalls was interviewed by Sky F1 ahead of the race won by Max Verstappen.

 

 

 

Pitt enthused over project

“It’s great to be here,” said the Hollywood A-lister. “We’re just having such a laugh, [the] time of my life.”

However the film has run into difficulties as reported by the Sun back in November. Much of the planned shooting failed to materialise and with the sponsorship changes around there sport, this footage is now defunct.

When filming resumes in 2024, the car liveries, names, major financial partners will be significant different that event the most casual observer would see the continuity problems the movie now faces.

The spend to date is reported to be $20m but much of this has been spent on footage which will need to be shot again. Lewis Hamilton as executive producer expressed his hope that the movie with its inclusivity agenda would have a bigger impact than even the Netflix annual series ‘Drive to Survive’.

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Hamilton thinks movie ‘bigger than Netflix.’

“I don’t know if this would have been possible 10-plus years ago when the old management was in place. They wouldn’t have perhaps seen this as an important step in terms of the sport’s growth,” said Hamilton back in the summer.

“But we’ve already seen the great work and impact of the Netflix show, and I think this will take it to new heights beyond that.”

Speaking in Las Vegas following the resolution of the actors dispute, Hamilton gave an update on the state of the production he is in part overseeing.

“Obviously now we can continue on with the writers, and now Brad and (fellow actor) Damson (Idris) will be back in training getting ready to get back in the car.”

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Vegas scene cancelled

The seven time world champion admitted that planned filming of “one of the really cool scenes” in Las Vegas had been scrapped, but it will instead take place in 2024.

“We’ve already got great footage with the demo drivers who have done a great job as all the drivers got to see in Austin,” Hamilton added. “Yeah, we’ll keep pushing along.

“It’s still going to be great, might cost a little bit more but I’m really confident in what Jerry (Bruckheimer) is going to produce.”

Now a junior executive working on the film is quoted by Business F1 Magazine as reporting Apple are not impressed with progress for a number of reasons.

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Script not up to required standard

The publication claims that there were several gaps in the cast and that “the script was not up to the required standard.”

This report is supported by the Sun who say their source said, “Apple Studios are “far from impressed” about the situation, told the newspaper: “It really is a nightmare for Brad and the team.

Blockbuster racing movies are few and far between and this is for a good reason. Whilst the interest will always be in the storyline about the people, the technical requirements to create a realistic racing backdrop is expensive and time consuming.

One of the reasons is that age-old delicate balance challenge for any genre, where the filmmakers not only capture that specific world but do so with a “riveting story”. It is the same for motor racing cinema; some capture the speed and danger of the competition but the story is weak, while others provide compelling characters but their efforts on the track are the pits.

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USA interest growth in F1 may have deceived Apple

Renny Harlin, director of the 2001 racing drama, “Driven,” points out: “Sports, in general, are really hard because it is such a live event. It is all about the experience. The crowd and communal aspect is really difficult to get across in film.”

Whilst no more expensive to make, Harlin believes race car movies are in general shunned by the studios because so few have worked. Some of the best are now fifty years old with 3 times Oscar winning 1966 film Grand Prix starring James Garner at the top of the pile.

One other problem Harlin identifies is that race car movies have such a specific audience the studios don’t believe they can count on the crossover popularity “like with other sports movies like baseball or basketball.”

Of course the huge growth in popularity of Formula One in the USA may have led Apple and director Jerry Bruckheimer to believe on this front that tide has turned.

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“Riveting Story” required

Yet the recent US TV audience figures revealed a drop in numbers during 2023 as maybe the fad driven by Netflix has peaked.

Further even the metric growth in US interest in F1 when considering the audience numbers is hardly world shattering. While the TV numbers have doubled from around 500,000 to 1.11 million over five years, this pales into insignificance when considering a Grand Prix is watched world on average by 70 million – most of whom are from its European roots.

With a reported $20m burned who knows whether the Pitt/Hamilton movie will ever be finished and more worrying for the project is the comments that the script is ‘sub-par’ given the observations from Harlin that a successful movie requires a “riveting story.”

As with Formula One a winning movie concept is tough to deliver and this stalled F1 film may prove to be the start and finish of Hamilton’s hopes of a post racing career involved with the silver screen.

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