Summary
Joseph Kosinski and the creative team behindF1chose to work with Brad Pitt over Tom Cruise in the upcoming film. The team even has a specific reason for doing so.
F1is an upcoming sports drama highlighting the high-octane world of Formula 1 racing. The movie is a collaborative effort between Apple Original Films, Monolith Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment, and Dawn Apollo Films. The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, stars Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, and Kerry Condon. Kosinski is known for helmingTop Gun: Maverick, so he has worked with Cruise already. Thus, many have been wondering why he didn’t cast Cruise to leadF1.
In an interview withGQ, Joseph Kosinski explained why he decided to work with Pitt instead of Cruise forF1. Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer started developingF1while in post-production on the high-grossing blockbusterTop Gun: Maverick. The director said both Pitt and Cruise were equipped to do the job since they have a “natural talent for driving.” However, the director found Cruise scarier to work with than Pitt. They were concerned that his pushing limits could pose safety risks during the production. Kosinski explained toGQ:
Tom always pushes it to the limit, but at the same time, is super-capable and very skilled. They both have the natural talent for driving. But yeah, I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more.
Kosinski is right about Cruise pushing limits. The action star is known for performing dangerous stunts. For instance, he climbed the Burj Khalifa forMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol(2011), hung from an Airbus A400M and held his breath for six minutes in an underwater scene forMission: Impossible - Rogue Nation(2015), executed a High-Altitude Low-Opening (HALO) jump from 25,000 feet forMission: Impossible - Fallout (2018), and drove a motorcycle off a cliff forMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One(2023). In the most recentMission: Impossiblemovie, Cruise hangs from the wings of a 1940s-era biplane. The actor saw himself doing the stunt as a child after seeing a clip of someone wing-walking. However, he had a major realization —it literally took his breath away. The aircraft reportedly traveled over 120 miles an hour when they filmed, so he struggled to get oxygen. He admitted that he trained himself to breathe in that environment, but it was so challenging that he passed out several times and couldn’t get back into the cockpit.
Kosinski chose to go with Pitt instead of Cruise forF1because the latter has a grounded attitude and recognizes his limitations to prioritize safety. The director is right that Cruise tends to push things to their limits, which might lead to dangerous situations on set. As for Pitt, he reportedly underwent about five months of intensive training to handle theF1 car. Bruckheimer, the producer, praised Pitt, saying he was “an amazing driver.” Some F1 drivers also saw Pitt’s potential, describing him as a “natural athlete.” However, it would probably be best if Pitt and Cruise appeared in the same film together. Kosinski nearly booked the duo to star in his version of 2019’sFord v Ferrari.Kosinski got to the point where he had Pitt and Cruise appear at a table read. Unfortunately, since it involved two of the most in-demand Hollywood actors, the budget ballooned too high, and they all left the project.
