Brad Pitt's F1 Sequel Could Drag Tom Cruise Into Another Shared Universe

Apple Studios has officially greenlit a sequel to F1, the $300 million racing spectacle that Variety reports is getting a follow-up just days after its splashy debut. No story details yet — because who needs plot when you've got Brad Pitt, product placement, and a V12 soundtrack?

But here's the part that's setting off franchise alarm bells: director Joseph Kosinski is reportedly eyeing a crossover with Days of Thunder. Yes, the 1990 Tony Scott NASCAR movie where Tom Cruise wore Ray-Bans and got yelled at by Nicole Kidman. Apparently, Kosinski thinks it's time for Cole Trickle to join the Apple cinematic universe.

To be fair, it makes business sense. Cruise is still a box office machine, and Paramount would probably sell off their vintage IP catalog for the chance to stay relevant. A Pitt-Cruise racing crossover is the kind of "event" that practically writes its own pre-vis deck. If Apple and Paramount cut a deal, don't be surprised to see Cruise hop into a $400 million Apple Original titled something like F2: Days of Lightning.

In the meantime, Kosinski is already drowning in pending projects. He's co-writing Top Gun 3 with Ehren Kruger, developing a UFO conspiracy thriller for Apple, and attached to direct a Miami Vice reboot for Universal with Nightcrawler's Dan Gilroy scripting. So this F1 sequel — let alone a Days of Thunder fusion — might not hit screens until the next administration.

Still, the comment section is way ahead of the curve. Fans are already pitching sequel titles like F2: F Harder, F1: Geriatric Racers, and F'in Around. Others are more interested in that Gilroy-scripted Miami Vice reboot, with one user flat-out begging, "Fast track that Miami Vice movie!" (No pun intended.)

Meanwhile, reactions to the F1 sequel news range from "Why not?" to "Isn't this the same movie we just saw with a new hat?" As one commenter put it:

"They spent $300 million on F1... $299.99 million on the movie, two dollars on the script."

And yet, it still worked — F1 pulled in massive opening weekend numbers, enough to justify doing it all over again. As one reply bluntly put it:

"Today's movies are considered worthwhile only if they can spawn sequels."

So here we are. Brad Pitt's back in the car. Tom Cruise might join him. The plot is TBD, but the merchandise is locked and loaded. Buckle up — because nothing's more cinematic these days than watching two 60-year-old men race toward a shared universe no one asked for.