The director of the highest-grossing movie of Brad Pitt’s career has confirmed that they are working on an idea for a sequel: F1: The Movie sped into theaters this summer, grossing $631 million worldwide and receiving generally strong reviews. The action sports movie follows a veteran Formula One racer (Pitt) coming out of retirement and clashing with his team’s rookie driver (Damson Idris).
F1 also stars Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bardem, directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger. Kosinski is the director of TRON: Legacy, Oblivion, and Only the Brave, but his career was launched forward when he helmed the 2022 legacy sequel and Best Picture nominee Top Gun: Maverick, cementing him as a highbrow action filmmaker.
In an interview with Variety, Kosinski shared that an F1 follow-up is being discussed with Apple. “We’re in that stage of just kind of dreaming up what the next chapter for Sonny Hayes would be, and for Apex GP, but you know, based on the reaction from around the world to this movie, it’s something that people wanna see. I’d be happy to go back and do it because we had so much fun making this one,” says the director.
Kosinski is directing the upcoming Miami Vice movie, starring Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler, which is slated for a 2026 release. He is also expected to return for Top Gun 3, with Kruger penning the script. This sequel will be especially exciting with Glen Powell’s return, as the Top Gun: Maverick breakout star has become one of the biggest talents in action in recent years.
That being said, the F1 sequel may be taking a back seat for some time until Kosinski’s schedule clears up. Pitt is also busy, expected to star in several upcoming features, including currently filming The Adventures of Cliff Booth (the sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the role for which Pitt won an Oscar) and the in-development Ocean’s Fourteen.
But working on other projects could give the premise for F1‘s sequel more time to gestate, allowing it a greater chance at eventual success. Coming up with a story idea that justifies a sequel is arguably the most important part of the process. Additionally, as F1 cost an estimated $250-300 million to make, the next movie needs to be strong to earn back its also likely high budget.
But F1 was already hit this year, and sequels have an inherent advantage at the box office when people will come to see the continuation of a story they are already invested in. Warner Bros. and Apple Original Films stand to make even more money the next time around, despite facing another expensive production, as the studios look to expand this potential franchise.
- Release Date
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June 27, 2025
- Runtime
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156 Minutes
- Director
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Joseph Kosinski
- Writers
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Joseph Kosinski, Ehren Kruger
- Producers
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Brad Pitt, Chad Oman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeremy Kleiner, Lewis Hamilton, Joseph Kosinski, Dede Gardner
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Damson Idris
Joshua ‘Noah’ Pearce