Joseph Kosinski’s F1 movie, tentatively titled “Apex,” is continuing to film at Formula One events. Fresh off “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kosinski’s film stars Brad Pitt and is being produced by Apple.
A Puck report from Scott Mendelson is hinting that, most likely due to delays and reshoots, “Apex” now has a budget of well over $300 million. No studio has bought the theatrical rights yet either.
Yes, “Apex” still doesn’t have a release date or a distributor attached, even though Apple has begun reaching out to IMAX about booking screens. Sony and Warner Bros. are considered the favorites to nab the film. Discussions are still ongoing.
That F1 package was so big, and everyone involved wanted so much money up front, that no traditional studio could touch it. And now, in an ironic twist, Apple has been calling around asking potential studio distributors when they would release the movie if they were chosen as the distributor.
The film, which stars Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Tobias Menzies, follows a driver (Pitt) who comes out of retirement to mentor a younger driver (Idris), and take his final stab at glory on the track as the younger driver’s teammate.
It sounds like “Top Gun: Maverick,” but with race cars and Pitt instead of Cruise. Might as well recycle the same formula that brought you great success in 2022. I have some faith in this film, but with a budget that keeps on ballooning, it now needs to be this incredible commercial success.
Before “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kosinski was mostly known for directing the Tom Cruise starring sci-fi film “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy” and “Only the Brave.” He’s now become one of the most sought-after blockbuster filmmakers in the industry.
For “Apex,” Kosinski and his crew developed the smallest moveable 6k camera ever designed to take the viewer into the cockpit. The tech being utilized in this film has never been used before if a motion picture.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.