Brad Pitt was filming his (stupid) Formula 1 movie for more than 18 months, no joke. You could say that the 2023 writers strike and actors strike affected the production, but you would be wrong – the production kept working in Europe during the strikes, and no one said sh-t about it. I think the F1 movie finally wrapped last December, and it’s scheduled to come out in June. It was produced by Apple and it will eventually come out on AppleTV, but it’s supposed to get a wide theatrical release. Where have we heard that before? Oh right, Wolfs was also produced by Apple and also supposed to get a wide theatrical release last summer, but then Apple realized they had a big, stinking turd on their hands and they shuffled it off to streaming quickly after a one-week limited theatrical release. I kind of wonder if the same thing will happen with this F1 movie, or if Apple is in too deep on this one. Reportedly, the F1 movie cost over $300 million to make. Wonder if Variety will make a big stink about it, or if they only reserve that kind of hysterical reporting for Black directors.

I bring all of this up because I’m tired of Hollywood investing this kind of money or any kind of money in mediocre white men, if not terrible white men. Since 2016, Pitt has only made two films (I think?) which have made money or broke even. His track record sucks and his violent personal history weighs down productions and promotional tours. But Pitt has just been cast in yet another movie:

Brad Pitt and Conclave director Edward Berger will team on A24 feature The Riders. The Riders is based on Tim Winton’s novel of the same name, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1995 and follows a man who travels around Europe with his daughter looking for their wife and mother who has gone missing. David Kajganich is adapting for the screen.

Ridley Scott is producing via his Scott Free banner with Michael Pruss. Kajganich will also produce alongside Berger’s nine hours banner and Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner for Plan B Entertainment. Production will start in early 2026, shooting in multiple locations across Europe.

Berger, Kajganich and Scott Free previously worked with on AMC series The Terror. Pitt was last seen starring opposite George Clooney in the action comedy Wolfs and will next be seen in Formula One movie F1, both out via Apple.

[From THR]

I haven’t read the book, but I read some summaries of the book – a man’s wife goes missing and he and their daughter go hunting around Europe to figure out what happened, when it becomes increasingly clear that the wife simply didn’t want to be married to this guy anymore. You also never hear the wife’s side of things, and the guy might be an unreliable narrator. Like… enough. Pitt shouldn’t have been cast.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.