F1 Sequel: Joseph Kosinski Reveals Where It Stands Now

Brad Pitt already took a victory lap with his Formula 1 passion project, and audiences showed up in a big way. So yeah, the obvious question: are we getting a sequel?

The hit: big screens, big money

Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) brought the same practical, in-your-face style to F1: The Movie, and it played like gangbusters on IMAX premium screens. The racing sequences were the star, and the format basically put viewers in the cockpit. After its initial run, Apple Studios sent it back to IMAX for a second round, which bumped the box office even more. Total worldwide take: roughly $631 million. Not bad for a movie about going in circles very fast.

So, where is F1 2?

Kosinski just talked to Deadline about it, and he sounds game to keep the engine running. There has even been chatter about him reuniting with Tom Cruise for a Days of Thunder crossover. Nothing is real there yet, but it is being floated, which is wild on its own.

"I personally would love to see what other adventures Sonny Hayes has in his future. I’d love to see what’s happened with the APXGP team and Joshua Pearce, and see how his career goes, so I would love to be able to tell another chapter in that story and it’s something we just started kinda dreaming about and it’s fun to be in this stage of imagining what that might be."

Translation: they are at the blue-sky, what-if stage. No official greenlight to announce, but the creative wheels are turning.

Quick refresher: who and what is F1 about?

Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a once-in-a-generation talent from the 90s whose rise gets wiped out by a brutal crash. Three decades later, his old teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) pulls him back into the game for APXGP, pairing him with hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). It is a redemption story with fast cars and even faster egos, and Sonny learns that climbing back to the top is not a solo mission.

Critics were into it

Our own Chris Bumbray had a blast with it, calling F1 one of the most awe-inducing big-screen spectacles in years. He also pointed out that, yes, the story leans familiar, but the execution is a full-on rollercoaster that makes the case for why theaters still matter. He even name-checked Sinners alongside it as an example of that. Bottom line: he hoped it would be the blockbuster it deserves to be, and audiences basically agreed.

• Status check: Kosinski wants to continue Sonny Hayes' story, explore what is next for APXGP and Joshua Pearce.
• Development stage: early days; they are brainstorming and imagining what a sequel could be.
• Crossover talk: there has been teasing about a Tom Cruise/Days of Thunder connection, but that is not confirmed.
• Momentum: the first film was a big win for Apple Studios, including a second IMAX run and about $631 million worldwide, so the appetite is clearly there.