Lewis Hamilton and Hollywood actor Brad Pitt have recently made their presence felt at Grand Prix weekends to film their upcoming F1 movie. While the duo have big plans for the movie, they seem to have encountered a major setback that will result in them postponing their shoot until they reach a venue that costs a whopping $240,000,000.
This development comes after the production of the film came to a sudden halt due to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) calling for a strike. This union has called for a strike for the first time since the 1980s because of a dispute over pay and the use of AI in production, according to racingnews365.com.
This news emerged shortly after they filmed a part of the movie at the British Grand Prix. However, what is more surprising about this development is that Pitt too has reportedly joined the strike held by SAG-AFTRA.
Brad Pitt postpones F1 movie production by two months
According to The Sun, Brad Pitt has joined the strike held by SAG-AFTRA and has called for the postponement of the F1 movie by two months. As quoted by The Mirror, a source close to Pitt said, “Brad agreed that they would finish the shoots booked in immediately. But has postponed planned production over the next two months“.
For film fans, production of the Apple Studios F1 movie is continuing in Budapest this weekend (cars will be on track again like at Silverstone) but SAG members – including Brad Pitt – aren’t involved, with a number of strikes in Hollywood ongoing #F1
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) July 21, 2023
The source adds that the next part of the movie will likely be shot during the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix, a circuit which cost a staggering $240,000,000. The source also adds that this is only a tentative time and that the resumption of production will all depend on the strike.
This is a major blow for the film, one that has a huge budget of $140,000,000. Moreover, with Apple also having bought the rights, both fans and the rest of the drivers, barring Max Verstappen, expect a lot from this film.
Leclerc and Alonso express their excitement for the upcoming F1 film
With Brad Pitt and the rest of the film crew making their presence felt at the British Grand Prix earlier this year, most of the drivers were excited to see them. For example, Charles Leclerc explained (as quoted by espn.in) how intrigued he was by the “technology” and the “approach” Brad Pitt and the rest were using to make the film.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso explained how “cool” it was to see Pitt and the rest during their drivers’ briefing. The Spaniard now hopes that he and the rest of the members in the paddock can help the film crew make a good movie.
While most in the paddock seemed happy to have Pitt in the paddock, Max Verstappen was not one of them. As quoted by The Mirror, he said, “I completely can’t be bothered with this“.
Hence, considering that most drivers are excited to see how this new project turns out, the film crew will now be under tremendous pressure to carry out a good job whenever they resume production.
