Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski spoke to F1 drivers and team principals at the 2023 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas to update them on the project.
As a result of the Screen Actors Guild strike over pay and protection against Artificial Intelligence, which has now surpassed 100 days to make it the longest actor strike in history, the F1 movie crew will revisit more circuits next year to complete principal photography.
While resolution talks with studios continue, leading SAG cast members Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem - striking in solidarity with their less famous and well-paid colleagues - will not return to work in time for filming at this year’s final two F1 races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
Other cast members such as Tobias Menzies and Kim Bodnia - plus actors playing the fictional Apex GP team mechanics and race crew - can continue to work since they are members of Equity, the UK actors’ association. Although, Equity has maintained its support for the Hollywood strike throughout and has not ruled out action of its own.
As the F1 movie, billed as the largest-scale sporting film ever attempted, manages a reported $200million budget around these logistical changes, a reduced production crew will be sent to races for which the lead actors are absent. This includes the inaugural Las Vegas GP (16-18 November) and Abu Dhabi season finale (24-26 November).
Speaking at the United States GP in Austin last weekend, Lewis Hamilton - a consultant producer to the film - revealed Vegas would make up a significant chunk of the film. “It will play an important part of our movie,” he said. “We’re really just working as hard as we can to make sure that it's a true reflection of this legendary sport. Both the old and the new… [As F1] we do have to continue to grow. I think the movie particularly is going to help do that.”
PLUS: How Apple's F1 film "authenticity" claims really stack up
Source: Autosport