Starring Brad Pitt, and hailing from director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Apple Original Films’ event film of the summer F1® The Movie, distributed in theaters worldwide and in IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, will have a “full circle” moment when cast and crew return to Abu Dhabi for the feature film’s regional premiere on 25 June, timed to coincide with the official Middle East release on 26 June 2025.
In partnership with Creative Media Authority and Abu Dhabi Film Commission and with the support of local production partner, Epic Films, F1® The Movie wrapped production at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December last year and now the team will return and walk the red carpet in Abu Dhabi.
F1® The Movie follows the fictional tale of former driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), once dubbed “the greatest that never was,” FORMULA 1®’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team's hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.
Filmed during actual Grand Prix weekends around the world, 284 local Abu Dhabi crew, led by Epic Films, joined the international production team for three separate shoots, totalling 29 days of Abu Dhabi-based production at locations including Yas Marina Circuit, Zayed International Airport and twofour54 Studios. Supported by Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s rebate scheme, 15 young local interns also had the experience of a lifetime; honing their production skills on set alongside some of the world’s most well-known film talent.
F1® The Movie is directed by Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), who produces the feature under his Monolith Pictures banner alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films; seven-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton under his Dawn Apollo Films banner; and Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner for Plan B Entertainment. The film is made in collaboration with Formula 1®, and the whole F1 community - including Formula 1 Management, the 10 teams, F1 drivers and the FIA. Academy Award-nominee Ehren Kruger (Top Gun: Maverick) wrote the screenplay based on a story by Kosinski & Kruger.
Mohamed Dobay, Acting Director General of Creative Media Authority, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming back the cast and crew for a fourth F1-related occasion after hosting the team on three different shoots across three years. Not only in terms of duration but also in terms of economic impact, the ‘F1® The Movie’ production has made a significant difference to Abu Dhabi’s creative ecosystem and to host the region’s premiere as part of a global tour, this will be a fitting closing moment and celebration to the full lifecycle of the production project and our first official partnership with Apple Original Films.”
Sameer Al Jaberi, Head of Abu Dhabi Film Commission commented: “We are incredibly proud to be hosting a premiere for ‘F1® The Movie’ – a moment which will see many of the cast and crew return to Abu Dhabi after wrapping 29 days of production – including days at the Yas Marina Circuit. As we continue to drive the film and TV production industry of Abu Dhabi forward, milestone moments such as premieres provide us the ideal opportunity to celebrate our collective efforts to support the visions of some of the world’s leading directors and producers from Arabic, Bollywood and Hollywood within a welcoming and supportive environment.”
F1® The Movie is one of 180 major production supported by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, part of the Creative Media Authority, since the introduction of the rebate in 2013.
