Apple’s $750 Million F1 Power Play Puts a Brad Pitt Sequel on the Fast Track

Brad Pitt just had the kind of win studios dream about. His F1 movie blew past expectations and into record territory, then Apple reportedly lined up a giant deal for the actual sport. And now there is real chatter about a sequel that could put Pitt and Tom Cruise on the same track. Buckle up.

First, the box office flex

Pitt's F1: The Movie did a clean sweep on release: biggest racing film ever, the top-grosser for Apple Studios, and the highest-earning movie of Pitt's career. That kind of run gets attention in Hollywood and in the paddock.

Apple reportedly grabs US F1 rights starting in 2026

According to Discussing Film, Apple and Formula 1 have agreed to a 5-year, $750 million deal that would make F1 races available exclusively on Apple TV in the US starting in 2026. To be clear, this is about US rights, not worldwide. ESPN has the US package through 2025; this would kick in after that and put the races behind Apple's platform in the States.

If that holds, it is a massive swing. It also instantly became a flashpoint with fans who do not want another subscription in their life (or buffering mid-overtake). The pushback has been loud on X/Twitter, with folks calling the move scummy, anti-consumer, and basically the opposite of innovation. The criticism has also been tied to a broader frustration with the US media landscape right now, with some pointing to former President Trump's stated plan on Truth Social to slap a 100% tariff on movies made outside the US as a sign of where things are heading.

'exclusive streaming because nothing says adrenaline like buffering on your couch'

Whether you agree or not, the vibe online is pretty simple: fans hate fragmentation, and stacking another paywall on live sports is not winning hearts and minds.

The sequel talk: Pitt vs Cruise on the track?

Director Joseph Kosinski has not been shy about wanting to make a follow-up to F1: The Movie. He has also been open about the dream scenario: bring Tom Cruise into the mix and tie it to Cruise's old-school stock-car classic Days of Thunder.

Kosinski told GQ Magazine UK he has a pitch that links Cruise's Cole Trickle and Pitt's Sonny Hayes as rivals with history. He even nodded to a bit of lore from the Interview with the Vampire set.

'Well, right now, it'd be Cole Trickle, who was [Cruise's] Days of Thunder character, we find out that he and [Brad Pitt's] Sonny Hayes have a past. They were rivals at some point, maybe crossed paths... I heard about this epic go-kart battle on Interview With the Vampire that Brad and Tom had, and who wouldn't pay to see those two go head-to-head on the track?'

If you remember, Kosinski once tried to mount a racing project called Go Like Hell with Pitt and Cruise. That version never fired up; James Mangold later made Ford v Ferrari instead. The difference now: Apple is clearly all-in on both the movie and, reportedly, the sport. Translation: the budget roadblocks that stopped Go Like Hell are a lot less scary this time.

Why this all lines up for Apple

If Apple really does secure US F1 rights in 2026, a Pitt-led sequel starts to look like synergy catnip. The studio has the money, the momentum, and the platform. And Kosinski wants the checkered flag on a Cruise-Pitt face-off. Feels inevitable, right?

F1: The Movie at a glance

• Director: Joseph Kosinski
• Screenplay: Ehren Kruger
• Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem
• Runtime: 155 minutes
• Budget: $200–300 million
• Box office: $629 million
• Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
• IMDb: 7.7
• Streaming: F1: The Movie hits Apple TV+ on December 12, 2025

What did you think of F1: The Movie? Worth the IMAX splurge? And how into a Pitt vs Cruise sequel are you? Also, where do you land on Apple potentially locking up US F1 rights in 2026? Sound off.