(Updated 12/17/2024)
If you were one of the $1.5 billion worth of people who saw TOP GUN: MAVERICK and thought, "I hope they do a DAYS OF THUNDER sequel next," then you’re in luck! OK, that’s stretching it a bit, but after mastering the air, MAVERICK director Joseph Kosinski has planted his feet firmly on the ground to tackle some of the most demanding auto racing on the planet.
F1 trades one a-lister for another, as Brad Pitt stars as ex-Formula One driver Sonny Hayes. In the movie, Pitt’s Hayes was a massive star in the 90s but a crash forced him away from the sport. If you’ve seen any sports movie about a grizzled, old veteran trying to make a comeback, you know exactly where this is headed. Hayes is called in for “one last job” — this time it’s to train hot young upstart Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris FX’s "Snowfall").
Check out the first trailer for F1 and we'll tell you more about the Summer 2025 release!
What's the F1 Release Date?
Warner Bros. Pictures will wave the starting flag for F1 on June 27, 2025.
Watch the First F1 Teaser Trailer
"We need to build our car for combat." This first teaser trailer for F1 gives us Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL mode — a veteran with nothing to lose who is ready to bring all his experience and insight to bear on one last race for the championship. The racing looks like gut-level gearhead stuff, with Kosinski taking the TOP GUN: MAVERICK approach to putting audiences right in the driver's seat.
Tron and Top Gun Director Shifts Gears
F1 director Joseph Kosinski has proven himself as a creator of pulse-pounding, blockbuster cinema with films like MAVERICK and the wildly-underrated TRON: LEGACY. One of his greatest skills kind of flies under the radar, however. He can convince audiences to invest in his characters, which supplies a real, human element to the fireworks.
MAVERICK doesn’t become a pop culture phenomenon without those long shots of Tom Cruise’s face, or the moments of quiet bonding between Cruise and his co-stars. Look at what might be Kosinski's best film, the underseen firefighter drama ONLY THE BRAVE. There, Kosiniski sinks audiences into a riveting world of heroic Arizona firefighters who put their lives on the line to stop a raging wildfire. Based on a true story, ONLY THE BRAVE proved that Kosinski is so much more than a filmmaker who could craft spectacle.
An Eye for Movie Stars
An essential component of movies like the ones Kosinski makes is the ability to shoot movie stars. That may seem like an obvious thing to say, but not everyone nails it. Think of a film like JURASSIC PARK. One of the most iconic moments in the history of cinema is Sam Neill and Laura Dern being awestruck by seeing a living, breathing brontosaurus for the first time. Steven Spielberg knew that projecting beautiful movie stars on a big, expansive screen, letting their reactions tell the story — well, that's as valuable as any innovative special effect.
Kosinski understands this. Go back to ONLY THE BRAVE, in which the action is punctuated by moments of solemnity. Kosinski pauses to watch Josh Brolin gaze out into the Arizonan wilds as the raging fire closes in on him. Frankly, it’s stunning stuff.
With a star like Brad Pitt front and center of F1, Kosinski has a terrific special effect at his disposal. Pitt’s beautiful looks have evolved into something more grizzled, more wizened, but no less striking. Amidst the roar of the Formula One cars tearing around the track, expect many closeups of Pitt’s mug watching on in quiet determination. Every line on his face its own racetrack with a lifetime of history.
How Much of the Racing in F1 Is Real?
Does it matter? Kosinski’s history in special effects wizardry makes him a multi-faceted threat as director. As great as he is with telling audience friendly, compelling stories, he may be even better with visual effects. His first film was the mind-bending TRON: LEGACY after all.
MAVERICK mixed real planes and incredible stuntwork (a requirement for a Tom Cruise movie) with seamless digital effects. It’s safe to assume that F1 will be no different. Brad Pitt did some of his own driving, perhaps even taking more control than Cruise did in the cockpit of those fighter jets.
Formula One fans should be even more excited because Pitt isn’t the only one behind the wheel. Driving legends like Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are among the many real-life drivers who’ll be appearing in F1 as themselves. So you know some of the racing in the movie will be as real as it gets.
F1 opens on June 27, 2025.
All images courtesy of Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures.