Disney, Paramount, MGM, Sony and Universal, the streaming services Netflix, Apple and Amazon and even Disney: around the turn of the year 2021/22, a fierce bidding war broke out in Hollywood for the new film by director Joseph Kosinski and producer and lead actor Brad Pitt, who was eventually won by Apple and the in-house streaming service Apple TV+.
While Kosinski’s Top Gun 2: Maverick hadn’t even hit theaters at the time (where it eventually grossed just under $1.5 billion), Apple paid about $130 to $140 million for the project, which may be titled “topwill wear. Since then, the anticipation for the Formula 1 action film would have only grown with the sensational success of “Top Gun 2” – and is now further fueled by the first images and some statements from Brad Pitt:
“I’m playing a guy who was a Formula 1 racer in the ’90s,” Pitt explained to the plot of the movie. “He had a terrible accident, he retires and disappears and races in other disciplines. He has a friend who is played by Javier Bardem and owns a racing team, they are in last place […] and have never won a point. But they have young racing talent, played by Damson Idris, and Javier’s character brings me on board as a sort of last hope. And then it becomes fun.”
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris can also be seen in the photo above dressed in their APXGP race team suits (Incidentally, another indication that the title of the movie really could be “Apex”). The race car that goes with it can be seen in the third photo – and Brad Pitt actually got behind the wheel for filmingjust like Tom Cruise was in the cockpit of a fighter jet in “Top Gun: Maverick”:
“Cameras are mounted all over the cars. That makes scenes possible… you’ve never experienced such speeds, such G-forces. It’s really exciting,” said Brad Pitt in addition. For example, not only does the plot of “Apex” resemble the model “Top Gun 2” (with the different generations of pilots and drivers), Joseph Kosinski also seems to have retained the unconditional desire for action scenes as realistic as possible with superstar participation.
However, Brad Pitt is by no means a real racer, as he freely admits in the video above: “It’s really humbling. I don’t think I did a really hot lap, it was more of a hot lap. I’ve had a few accidental trips into the countryside, but it’s just great,” said Pitt. Still, not all driving mistakes were real mistakes, some were intended for the shooting.
“Apex” doesn’t have a release date yet, but should hit theaters first and then mid-2024 on Apple TV+.