Brad Pitt pauses filming on F1 blockbuster in support of Hollywood strikes

Jul 30, 2023

Brad Pitt has paused production on his forthcoming Formula 1 feature film in support of the US actors’ and writers’ strike.

The Hollywood star, 59, had been shooting scenes for the project recently including filming at the Silverstone Circuit ahead of the British Grand Prix earlier this month.

The production has now ground to a halt as Pitt “very much stands” alongside his fellow actor union members, the PA news agency understands.

The film joins a string of productions which have stopped after the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) announced a strike on 13 July.

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Seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton is acting as co-producer on the currently untitled Apple film, which is being made in collaboration with F1, providing the project with special access to the race tracks and drivers.

In the film, the Fight Club star plays a driver who competed in the 1990s but moved to racing in other disciplines after suffering a horrible crash.

It follows the driver coming out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie, played by Damson Idris, for the fictional APXGP team which is sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The actors’ strike came after the union failed to reach agreement on a number of issues, including pay and the use of artificial intelligence, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major film studios, TV networks and streaming giants.

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Hollywood stars are among the 160,000 actors on strike, joining the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America, who walked out on 2 May.

Deadpool 3, which stars Ryan Reynolds in the titular role, has also paused filming in London due to the strike.

The cast of Christopher Nolan’s new movie Oppenheimer walked out of the London premiere earlier this month as news of the impending strike broke, and planned junkets for films including Barbie have also been affected.

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On Friday, it was confirmed the Emmy Awards, which were due to be held in September, have been postponed due to the strikes.

Rules laid out by the actors’ union say stars cannot campaign for the Emmys or attend award shows while undertaking industrial action.

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