Brad Pitt’s F1 movie has shut up shop for the foreseeable (Picture: IPA Sport/Splash News)
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.
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 racetracks 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 horrific crash.
It follows Pitt’s character coming out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie, played by Damson Idris, for the fictional APXGP team which is languishing at the bottom of the leaderboard.
The star was spotted on set with cast and crew, including co-star Damson Idris (R) earlier this month (Picture: IPA Sport/Splash News)
Silverstone Circuit had been hosting some filming for the movie, ahead of the British Grand Prix (Picture: IPA Sport/Splash News)
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 July 13, including John M. Chu’s adaptation of the musical Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, which was just days away from being finished.
It 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 (AMPTP), which represents the major film studios, TV networks and streaming giants.
Hollywood stars are among the 160,000 actors on strike, joining the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who walked out on May 2.
Sir Lewis Hamilton is also producing on the film (Picture: Getty)
Pitt is said to ‘very much stand’ alongside his fellow striking actors and members of Sag-Aftra (Picture: Getty)
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.
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.
Celebrities including Jack Black have also been spotted on the picket lines (Picture: London Entertainment/Splash/Shutterstock)
Many other stars have also been spotted showing their support, including an almost unrecognisable Jack Black, who rocked up with a sign to join the picket line outside Paramount Studios in LA.
Meanwhile, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has made a donation of reportedly over $1million (£778,000) to a charitable fund assisting those most affected by the work stoppage of the strikes.
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It joins the likes of Wicked and Deadpool 3, which have also paused shooting in the UK.
