Brad Pitt Racing Project From Producer Jerry Bruckheimer Starts A Bidding War

Audiences like racing movies. The studios know this, so it's no surprise that not only is one of the biggest movie stars working today attaching himself to a new one, but all the studios are lining up to bid each other up on the package. 

The Hollywood Reporter says that studios and streamers are fighting each other for the rights to this as-yet-untitled racing film starring Pitt and directed by "Tron: Legacy" filmmaker Joseph Kosinski. We're talking Disney, Paramount, MGM, Sony, Universal, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon all vying for this project.

It helps that one of the most respected big studio producers is attached. Jerry Bruckheimer is also connected and "The Ring" screenwriter, Ehren Kruger, comes with the deal, as well.

Kruger being attached is the only red flag for me. "The Ring" aside, his output, both produced and unproduced, over the last couple of decades has left a lot to be desired. He once wrote an adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub's "The Talisman" which was one of the worst adaptations I've ever read, but clearly, Kosinski likes him. They just worked together on "Top Gun: Maverick," so the fact that he's wanting to jump immediately into a new project with him, that it's attracting the best in the business and sparking a massive bidding war hushes that little personal grudge against Kruger quite a bit.

I was a big fan of James Mangold's "Ford v Ferrari," and that's something that is name-checked a couple of times in the THR piece breaking this story. We have no idea yet if this untitled film will be in that style — a racing drama — but it's a recent film, and while very much a "dad movie," it was a great "dad movie." The world needs a good "dad movie" from time to time, and if we're gonna get another one, it might as well be high-octane with Brad Pitt and shot by Kosinski.

In fact, THR reminds us that at one point both Pitt and Kosinski were attached to "Ford v. Ferrari" early on in the development cycle.

No matter how you feel about "Tron: Legacy" or "Oblivion," there's no question that Kosinski's a hell of a shooter, and you need someone with a dynamic eye when making a film like this. Pitt will have the movie star charisma part covered, and hopefully, Kruger steps up for the screenplay. Kosinski behind the camera makes this a slam dunk, at least in theory.

Bidding wars usually mean the eventual studio will be very invested in this story which in turn means this will have a sizable budget, and I have no doubt it'll look like a million bucks.

THR also states rumor has it that Lewis Hamilton, a modern racing legend hailing from the UK, is involved in some form with this project, as well. Make of that what you will.

Pitt is in full-on Steve McQueen mode right now, so of course, he needs to star in a big ol' racing drama/thriller/whatever the hell this ends up being. I'm here for it.