(Left) Austin Butler stars in ‘Elvis.’ (Right) Don Johnson in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
Preview:
Austin Butler is in early talks for the new ‘Miami Vice’ movie.
Joseph Kosinski is directing.
If he does sign on, Butler would join Michael B. Jordan in the film.
Well, we were at least close with our guess.
Some context: you might recall that recently we brought word that Michael B. Jordan was in early talks to play Detective Ricardo Tubbs in ‘F1’ director Joseph Kosinski’s planned new movie based on iconic cop series ‘Miami Vice’.
We speculated then that Glen Powell might take on the role of fellow cop Sonny Crockett, but it appears Kosinski is looking to hire a different young rising star.
(L to R) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
‘Miami Vice’ began life in the early 1980s as a TV show created by ‘Hill Street Blues’ writer Anthony Yerkovich, after NBC president Brandon Tartikoff requested a program that combined the style of MTV with a cop series. The result, produced by Michael Mann, starred Don Johnson as Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Tubbs, two detectives working undercover in Miami. The show, which ran for five seasons from 1984 to 1990, became known for its groundbreaking visual style, its hip needle drops, and the fashions worn by its characters, arguably revolutionizing the look of TV crime drama for decades to come.
After Mann moved into directing feature films with ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ ‘Heat,’ and others, he rebooted ‘Miami Vice’ as a 2006 movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crockett and Tubbs. While not initially a hit with either critics or audiences, the film has since been reappraised and is now considered a cult classic.
(Left) Michael B. Jordan directs and stars as Adonis Creed in ‘Creed III.’ (Right) Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
Preview:
Michael B. Jordan is in early talks for the new ‘Miami Vice’ movie.
Joseph Kosinski is directing.
Universal is behind the new effort.
It may not be at sweltering Miami city levels just yet, but ‘F1’ director Joseph Kosinski’s development of a new movie based on cult detective series ‘Miami Vice’ is certainly heating up.
Kosinski will be working from a script written by Eric Warren Singer and Dan Gilroy, and assuming Jordan’s deal comes together (he’s reportedly very interested), the search will intensify for someone to play Tubbs’ partner Sonny Crockett.
Our guess? Glen Powell. But let’s see where things land.
(L to R) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
‘Miami Vice’ began life in the early 1980s as a TV show created by ‘Hill Street Blues’ writer Anthony Yerkovich, after NBC president Brandon Tartikoff requested a program that combined the style of MTV with a cop series. The result, produced by Michael Mann, starred Don Johnson as Crockett and Thomas as Rico Tubbs, two detectives working undercover in Miami. The show, which ran for five seasons from 1984 to 1990, became known for its groundbreaking visual style, its hip needle drops, and the fashions worn by its characters, arguably revolutionizing the look of TV crime drama for decades to come.
After Mann moved into directing feature films with ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ ‘Heat,’ and others, he rebooted ‘Miami Vice’ as a 2006 movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crockett and Tubbs. While not initially a hit with either critics or audiences, the film has since been reappraised and is now considered a cult classic.
What else is Michael B. Jordan working on?
Michael B. Jordan announces ‘Creed’ spin-off ‘Delphi’ at the Amazon Upfront on May 13th, 2025. Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Amazon
Part of the reason for Jordan’s deal not yet being closed is scheduling; the actor is busy directing and starring in his own new version of an older property –– ‘The Thomas Crown Affair.’
He’ll need time to finish editing that movie before he can truly commit to ‘Miami Vice.’
When will the new ‘Miami Vice’ be on our screens?
The movie is currently dated for August 6, 2027.
(L to R) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
(Left) Director-Producer Joseph Kosinski attends a Press Conference in Mexico City on June 10th, 2025 for Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films ‘F1’. Photo Credit: Chino Lemus. Copyright: Chino Lemus 2022. (Right) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
Preview:
Universal has dated the new ‘Miami Vice’ for 2027.
Joseph Kosinski is directing.
No casting has been announced yet.
First there was ‘Miami Vice’, the iconic 1980s detective drama. In 2006, Michael Mann brought us Movie Vice (okay, it was still just called ‘Miami Vice’ on the big screen, but go with us here).
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And, back in April, word landed that ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘F1’ director Joseph Kosinski was going to take his own crack at the concept for Universal.
It would appear that the success of ‘F1’ ($624 million worldwide so far on an admittedly hefty budget) has spurred the studio to truly commit to Kosinski’s version, with the company handing down a 2027 release slot.
(L to R) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
‘Miami Vice’ began life in the early 1980s as a TV show created by ‘Hill Street Blues’ writer Anthony Yerkovich, after NBC president Brandon Tartikoff requested a program that combined the style of MTV with a cop series. The result, produced by Michael Mann, starred Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Rico Tubbs, two detectives working undercover in Miami. The show, which ran for five seasons from 1984 to 1990, became known for its groundbreaking visual style, its hip needle drops, and the fashions worn by its characters, arguably revolutionizing the look of TV crime drama for decades to come.
After Mann moved into directing feature films with ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ ‘Heat,’ and others, he rebooted ‘Miami Vice’ as a 2006 movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crockett and Tubbs. While not initially a hit with either critics or audiences, the film has since been reappraised and is now considered a cult classic.
(L to R) Director-Producer Joseph Kosinski, Damson Idris, Brad Pitt, and Kerry Condon attend a Press Conference in Mexico City on June 10th, 2025 for Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films ‘F1’. Photo Credit: Chino Lemus. Copyright: Chino Lemus 2022.
Director Joseph Kosinski’s ‘F1 The Movie’ stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, FORMULA 1’s most promising phenomenon in the 1990s before an accident that ended his career. Thirty years later, he is a racer for hire who moves from city to city picking up jobs.
His former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) is the owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team and convinces Sonny to come back for one last chance to be the best in the world, and to save the team, of course. Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) is the team’s hotshot rookie who wants to do things his way which causes them to butt heads at times.
Moviefone was in attendance of a virtual press conference featuring Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris, Joseph Kosinski, and Jeremy Kleiner, to learn behind-the-scenes details and what it was like to make such a high-octane movie.
1) Joining ‘F1 The Movie’ Was A No Brainer For Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt attends a Press Conference in Mexico City on June 10th, 2025 for Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films ‘F1’. Photo Credit: Chino Lemus. Copyright: Chino Lemus 2022.
Brad Pitt explains that he has been trying to do a racing film for decades and is extremely thankful that not only did it finally pan out, but that it did so in this way.
Brad Pitt: It was just a no-brainer. When Joe has this audacious plan to embed us in the racing season, to put us actually in the cars, it was just a dream come true. I’ve been trying to do a racing film for literally decades, and whether it was on bikes or whether it was in cars, for whatever reason, it just didn’t pan out. I’m so grateful because the experience Joe gave us, putting us in the car, putting us in this ecosystem of the F1 racing season with all the drivers, with the teams, was just an extraordinary experience. Nothing like I’ve ever experienced in all my decades doing this. And I will always thank Joe for this film that we’re able to bring to you today and just being the architect of this insane idea.
Director Joseph Kosinski crated a new FORMULA 1 team, complete with garages and the actors driving, in order to perfectly blend reality and fiction.
Joseph Kosinski: There’s nothing like being at a real FORMULA 1 race. You just can’t fake that energy, the energy of the crowd, the sound. I knew that if we were going to make a film in this world, we had to shoot it at the races. Stefano Domenicali, who runs Formula 1, Brad and Jerry and I went very early on the project and pitched the idea of what we wanted to do and he got it right away. The partnership has been really incredible. I think we learned so much from them. I think they learned a little bit from us. The partnership has been amazing and I can’t wait for people to see the result.
3) Brad Pitt & Damson Idris Are Really Driving The Cars In ‘F1 The Movie’
Damson Idris and Brad Pitt attend a Press Conference in Mexico City on June 10th, 2025 for Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films ‘F1’. Photo Credit: Chino Lemus. Copyright: Chino Lemus 2022.
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris discuss what it was like to do their own stunts in ‘F1 The Movie’ and what it was like to actually drive cars going at such high speeds.
Brad Pitt: The idea of being in the car and dealing with these forces, G-forces, the physics of it all, is just something you cannot fake. Joe said it. I want to make the most immersive, visceral racing film that’s ever been done. That’s how he got Lewis in, that’s how he got me in, that’s how he got all of us in. So we started this training and we ended up getting to drive for basically two years in the making of this. I would almost wish we could shoot it again because by the end of it, Damson and I, I’d say we were quite tasty as drivers.
Idris added:
Damson Idris: Before I even got the part, I drove up somewhere in California and got in simulators and got the guy to put all the race tracks there so I could learn them before I even came to London. Then I downloaded the F1 game, created a fake character, and won a championship. I was doing a lot of manifesting. When I finally got the part, it was about the training, intense training from Rockingham to Silverstone, Palm Springs. We were in Austin, Texas, all the way from F4 up to F1. Just really learning and immersing myself in the world of Formula 1.
4) A Whole New Camera System Was Built To Capture The Speed Of The Cars
‘F1 The Movie’ is extremely immersive, causing viewers to feel as if they are in the car alongside the drivers. Director Joseph Kosinski explains that they needed to build a new camera system to pull that off.
Joseph Kosinski: In order to capture what it’s like to be in one of these FORMULA 1 cars, we had to come up with a whole new camera system that was very light and very small. So we took the system we developed for ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ and we miniaturized it. We made it as small as we could. I’m sure these guys wish it was a little smaller because it was right in front of their face the whole time while they were driving. You don’t think about that as you’re watching the movie, but they have four cameras pointing at their faces while they’re driving around the track. These cameras also move, which was a new innovation that we developed for this film. But the reason it feels immersive is because it’s really happening. These guys are driving the cars at 180 miles an hour. The cameras are mounted to the cars. We’re shooting it during a real race weekend between practice and qualifying sessions. And the audience can feel that. When you go to all that effort to do it for real, I really believe you feel it when you’re watching the film.
5) FORMULA 1 Driver Lewis Hamilton Was A Key Part Of Making ‘F1 The Movie’
Brad Pitt explains that ‘F1 The Movie’ could not have been made without the incredible support that they received from FORMULA 1 and in particular, driver Lewis Hamilton.
Brad Pitt: We couldn’t have done this without the support of F1, the teams, the principals, the drivers themselves. We all went to even driver meetings to try to earn their trust, let them know how much we respect their sport, how much we want to get it right, and we want to include them. And if we’re ever in the way, please tell us, and we’ll scram. But exactly what Damson was saying about Lewis Hamilton coming in, it was so smart of Joe to bring him in first and foremost because his knowledge is unfathomable. We would have meetings with him, some 12-hour meetings just as we developed the story, developed the script, and he would tell us his experiences. A lot of him is in the film as far as certainly our summation where we end. He is so knowledgeable even in the post portion of the film, putting the film together. He could tell you if we were in the wrong gear at turn six or that there’s a reverb when you go down the straight and make sure you add that.
6) One Scene Could Have Gone Horribly Wrong… But Thankfully Didn’t
Kerry Condon attends a Press Conference in Mexico City on June 10th, 2025 for Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films ‘F1’. Photo Credit: Chino Lemus. Copyright: Chino Lemus 2022.
The cast and filming crew felt extreme pressure during a key scene because they knew they could cause a racing team to be disqualified.
Kerry Condon: We were all nervous. Even the camera people were nervous because they had to walk backwards. And we were told 20 times by F1, don’t touch the cars. It’s the end of the race. That’s when the cars all pull in at the end and they have to check that they didn’t cheat or whatever. They have to weigh them and stuff. And so you can’t touch them. If you touch them, they’re disqualified. So everyone was so nervous about touching these cars. And then it was a beautiful moment for our team in the movie, so we had to have a great feeling. Everybody worked together, the AD department and the camera department and the sound department and stills photography. It was like all of us had to be great at the exact same time. So just the feeling when we did it was like, I was so high for so long.
7) Sonny’s Line “New Day, New Challenge” Is Something Director Joseph Kosinski Will Always Take With Him
Director-Producer Joseph Kosinski attends a Press Conference in Mexico City on June 10th, 2025 for Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films ‘F1’. Photo Credit: Chino Lemus. Copyright: Chino Lemus 2022.
Joseph Kosinski compares his experience in filmmaking to a line that Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes says in ‘F1 The Movie’.
Joseph Kosinski: He has a line in the film, New Day, New Challenge, and for me, that’s what I think about when approaching a film. What’s something I’ve never done before? What’s something that’s going to inspire me to get up out of bed every day and want to tackle it? So I think that’s one thing I’ll take away from this experience.
8) Filming ‘F1 The Movie’ Is An Experience Brad Pitt Will Never Forget
Brad Pitt is a fan of FORMULA 1 racing so for him to be able to sit in the drivers seat was not just another day at work, but rather an experience he will never forget.
Brad Pitt: It’s a religion for me as well. It’s incredible what these guys can do. We all think we’re backseat drivers in a way that we would know how to handle it. The precision, as Kerry said, they’re changing time zones. They’re taking these corners, they’re pulling 5Gs. It is staggering. And the idea that these guys can go around a four-mile track, a three-and-a-half-mile track, and all be within one second of each other, it’s awesome. So for us to even get to experience a hint of that, it’s such a high… I would love to explain what downforce feels like, the way these cars can stick. It is awesome. I don’t know how to do any better than that because there’s nothing I can compare it to. It is such a high… And the fact that we got to be tourists in this ecosystem for a little bit was an experience I’ll never forget.
9) FORMULA 1 Is Full Of Stories, Which Is Something This Movie Worked Hard To Capture
Brad Pitt is walking away from making ‘F1 The Movie’ knowing that the sport is full of stories. It is not just about the races, but the athletes and people behind-the-scenes, their lives, and the stories they tell.
Brad Pitt: F1 is full of stories, and each individual has their own quest and their own forces that they’re fighting against. Me, myself, for Sonny, he’s a character who had an early existence in F1, and it didn’t pan out for him, and he thinks he’s made his peace with that and has structured his life around that and moved on. But as life does, those unanswered things seem to circle back around, and we have to address them again, and that’s the Sonny story as I see it, which I’m quite moved by. But there’s many more stories to our story. There’s an underdog story, they’re a last-place team, how do they fight within the rules, how can they become a winning team? Kate’s fighting against a glass ceiling, in a sense. Damson’s character is a new and young phenomenon. He’s trying to find his way in a sport under great scrutiny, and still trying to operate at his best, and Javier is someone who’s trying to maintain this dream. He anchors it. So there’s multiple things going on in our story, and just like if you follow any racing weekend, the headlines are full of individual stories, and that’s the same for us.
10) Kerry Condon Never Thought She Would Be In A Hollywood Blockbuster
Kerry Condon admits that the main reason she joined the cast of ‘F1 The Movie’ is because she never thought she would be in a blockbuster film.
Kerry Condon: It was a blockbuster movie, and I grew up watching them in Ireland. I never thought I would have been in a big Hollywood movie with the music and the effects. It was just crazy thinking that I was even up for it, to be honest. I just wanted to be in it because it was one of those movies I had watched as a child.
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What is the plot of ‘F1”?
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).
(L to R) Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem star in ‘F1 The Movie’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon and Damson Idris to talk about their work on ‘F1 The Movie’. Condon and Bardem discussed how they approached their characters and filming during real Formula One races, while Idris talked about preparing for the intense driving sequences.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Bardem, Condon and Idris, as well as director Joseph Kosinski, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, Kerry, can you talk about your approach to playing Kate and was this a fun character for you to portray?
Kerry Condon: Yeah, it was of course, because it was a super intelligent character that wasn’t one note. It wasn’t like, “This is the intelligent, nerdy character.” It was like there was lots of different flavors to her that made her more of a real person. I was really encouraged to go with my instinct and bring a lot of my own personality and to have fun too, which was wild to be encouraged to have fun on such a high-pressure job. I was encouraged to enjoy it.
MF: Javier, how did you approach playing your character and can you talk about his relationship with Sonny Hayes?
Javier Bardem: For me, it was more about the relationship, the love relationship of a friendship with Brad’s character and how much they respect each other, need each other, and despise each other when they’re not in the same page. It was about creating that relationship and bringing it to the screen, for us to understand that at the end of the day, you really must sacrifice yourself to make the team win. All the personal things must be forgotten to make it more about the team.
MF: Damson, I understand you did your own driving in this film, what was that experience like and how did that help your performance?
Damson Idris: That was the first thing I asked when I first met with Joe (Kosinski) and Jerry (Bruckheimer), I said, “When you guys did ‘Top Gun’, the actors were in the planes for real, right?” They’re like, “Yeah.” “Are we going to be driving the cars for real?” “Yeah.” I was like, “Oh,” and I put on my poker face. I was like, “I could do that easy,” but growing up I always loved fast cars, so getting in the cars and going through these corners, I knew it was going to be just the most fun. We trained for four months every single day so we could look real on screen. Yeah, it was the best experience. Going from track to track, I don’t think anyone’s ever going to be able to experience what I have. No actor, anyway.
MF: Finally, Javier, when you shot the racing scenes, they were at real races in front of real Formula One fans. What was that experience like for you performing in front of all those people?
JB: I remember Silverstone, it was the first day of shooting for me, and Joe and Brad were with the drivers and the planes flying overhead and then the camera will follow them through the whole crowd. We have a conversation, Brad and I in front of thousands of people. That’s a different kind of energy, like a theater play, but seen by thousands of people at the same time. That puts you in a place of really a lot of adrenaline.
Editorial Note: Krisily Fernstrom conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
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What is the plot of ‘F1”?
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).
Director Joseph Kosinski masterfully put together a dream team, both in front of and behind the camera, to deliver a perfectly orchestrated high octane thrill ride that is expertly choreographed. The movie will pull you in and have you at the edge of your seats with excitement and have viewers cheering along with the race fans in the film. With a heartwarming underdog story and plenty of laughs in between, both new and old Formula One race fans will be taken on an adrenaline ride full of excitement.
When the trailer for ‘F1 The Movie’ was released, it did an amazing job at building suspense, showing action packed moments and explaining the plot of the film. But in case you missed it, the film follows Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a driver that is known as a bit of a reckless cowboy who never quite made it but appears to not have a care in the world, even if he is known as “the greatest that never was.” When Sonny’s old friend Ruben (Javier Bardem), a former driver turned team owner, is about to lose his team he turns to Sonny for help, offering him one last shot at being the best driver in the world. The pressure is on, and Sonny holds the fate of the entire team as well as the ego filled, up and coming driver and his Formula One teammate Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), in the palm of his hands. Keeping viewers in suspense all while waiting to discover if he will be able to save the team or if he will blow it all up to pieces.
When we meet Sonny he is leaving a race and seems to live moment to moment, without a care in the world, always heading to the next race. After deciding to join Ruben’s team, Sonny is the black sheep always moving to the beat of his own drum and not quite meshing with the extremely well-oiled pit and tech crew of the APXGP F1 team. Butting heads with the team’s technical director Kate (Kerry Condon), who has her own points to prove is fun to watch, but it’s the rival tension between Sonny and Joshua Pearce that becomes the driving force of what could make or break the fate of the entire F1 crew and the film itself.
Putting together the perfect crew of his own, Kosinski brings the same action-packed intensity he gave viewers with ‘Top Gun: Maverick” this time trading fighter jets for F1 cars and once again putting viewers directly in the driver’s seat. Working seamlessly with F1 creating an authentic experience for F1 fans, while also teaching a master class on F1 for viewers who don’t know anything about the sport was just one of the highlights of Kosinski’s excellent direction.
Taking a story about a team about to lose everything and carefully weaving the lives and careers of two drivers that couldn’t be more different is where the film builds an entirely different sort of tension and experience that every movie fan will utterly enjoy. Each morsel of information or backstory given feeling as if it was earned by trust, making you feel as if you are part of the process, like a gift from the film to its viewer.
But it is in the third act of the film that Kosinski’s craft of perfection is truly shown to its fullest. Taking powerful and action-packed adrenaline-fueled driving sequences and carefully sewing them between emotionally driven heart tugging moments that will keep viewers at the edge of their seats with bated breath. Putting both Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in the drivers seat of an actual Formula One car at 200 MPH, may have been a risk, but the payoff was the reward of once again delivering audiences both extraordinary action sequences with an authentic and visceral F1 experience.
Brad Pitt gives a brilliant performance as Sonny Hayes, he is the perfect fit as the icon, the rough and tumble cowboy driver who has nothing and everything to lose. Pitt has been known for his love of both driving and speed over the years and looks completely comfortable in the driver’s seat even at top speeds. His performance in the final sequence of the film is what had the potential to make or break the film as a whole, and he met it with passion and brilliance that left a long lasting impression.
Damson Idris nails the cocky and arrogant, while still wet behind the ear’s teammate Joshua Pearce. He brought emotion and depth to an extremely layered character and held his own in every scene. Kerry Condon was perfection as the team’s first female technical director who’s lost her confidence and feels like she has something to prove. And the scenes of her character sparring with Pitts character were always enjoyable.
But there is something about Javier Bardem’s performance that to me ties everything together on an emotional level in the end that stands out on its own and should be applauded. Because in the end it’s all about the love of driving.
When you think about what they did to achieve the authenticity of this film it is absolutely extraordinary. They took an idea and a story and to make that a reality they quite literally embedded an entire film crew into a F1 season on every track, in every country all while maintaining the integrity of a sport. They put actors in F1 cars at top speeds alongside F1 drivers and crews, with F1 fans in the stands. All to give viewers the ride of their lives. They took shots in minutes that most movies take a day just to set up. The sheer magnitude of that alone should have movie fans everywhere lining up to see this film on the big screen.
Kosinski alongside producer Jerry Bruckheimer (‘Top Gun: Maverick’) and seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton took every vital step and then some to give audiences the most authentic and what Pitt calls “the most visceral driving experience that’s ever been put on film.” With an almost nostalgic feel of the best action movies of the 80’s and 90’s paired with an incredible and at times heart pumping score from Hans Zimmer paced perfectly in every scene, ‘F1 The Movie’ is everything I want in a movie going experience and should be experienced in the theatre.
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What is the plot of ‘F1”?
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).
(Left) Director Joseph Kosinski at CinemaCon 2025. Photo: Warner Bros. (Right) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
Preview:
A new version of ‘Miami Vice’ is in development as a feature film, with Joseph Kosinski on board to direct.
Kosinski is the director of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and the upcoming Brad Pitt racing drama ‘F1.’
Originally a hit TV series in the 1980s, ‘Miami Vice’ was made into a feature film by the show’s producer, Michael Mann, in 2006.
Director Joseph Kosinski has been tapped to direct a new version of ‘Miami Vice’ for the big screen, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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The Universal Pictures project will be scripted by Dan Gilroy, whose previous credits include ‘Nightcrawler,’ ‘Velvet Buzzsaw,’ and several episodes of ‘Andor.’ There is no word yet on casting or a release date.
Director/Producer Joseph Kosinski on the set of Apple Original Films’ ‘F1,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
It’s fair to say that Joseph Kosinski has become one of the hottest directors in Hollywood following the billion-dollar, Oscar-nominated triumph of his ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ in 2022. Kosinski’s next movie, ‘F1,’ is due out in late June and will star Brad Pitt in a Formula One racing drama that carries a reported price tag of $200 million.
Although Kosinski has signed up for ‘Miami Vice,’ his next film will be a similarly high-profile UFO thriller which is being produced by Apple Original Films (which also produced ‘F1’). His previous pictures include ‘Tron: Legacy,’ ‘Only the Brave,’ and ‘Oblivion,’ the latter of which marked his first collaboration with ‘Top Gun’ star Tom Cruise.
What is the background of ‘Miami Vice’?
(L to R) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
‘Miami Vice’ began life in the early 1980s as a TV show created by ‘Hill Street Blues’ writer Anthony Yerkovich, after NBC president Brandon Tartikoff requested a program that combined the style of MTV with a cop series. The result, produced by Michael Mann, starred Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Rico Tubbs, two detectives working undercover in Miami. The show, which ran for five seasons from 1984 to 1990, became known for its groundbreaking visual style, its hip needle drops, and the fashions worn by its characters, arguably revolutionizing the look of TV crime drama for decades to come.
After Mann moved into directing feature films with ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ ‘Heat,’ and others, he rebooted ‘Miami Vice’ as a 2006 movie starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crockett and Tubbs. While not initially a hit with either critics or audiences, the film has since been reappraised and is now considered a cult classic.
Since it’s unlikely that Farrell and Foxx will reprise their roles 20 years later, a new Crockett and Tubbs will no doubt be the first items on Kosinski’s to-do list.
(L to R) Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’. Photo: NBC/Universal.
Earlier this week, Moviefone had the pleasure of attending a virtual press conference, along with other members of the press, for ‘F1’ featuring director Joseph Kosinski, and a video introduction from Lewis Hamilton, producer and Formular One World Champion.
Here’s what Kosinski and Hamilton had to say about making ‘F1’.
The Champion Speaks
The press conference began with an introduction from Formula One World Champion race driver Lewis Hamilton, who is also a producer on the film.
“Joe (Kosinski), Jerry (Bruckheimer), Brad (Pitt), the cast and the whole filmmaking team put an incredible amount of effort to deliver a genuine Formula One racing experience, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before on screen. As you may have heard, the film was shot during the F1 races over the course of a season, and with Joe at the helm, audiences around the globe are going to feel like they’re on the track and in the driver’s seat.”
Hamilton went on to discuss working with Brad Pitt and his commitment to the project.
“Watching Brad drive around speeds over 180 miles an hour was impressive to see because it’s not something you can just learn overnight. The dedication and the focus that Brad put into this process has been amazing to witness. This film has got it all. Brad Pitt, speed, thrills, an epic underdog story, drama, humor, and a little bit of romance.”
Finally, Hamilton expressed his pride in the film and promised something for Formular One fans and non-fans alike.
“You may even recognize some familiar faces from the world of Formula One racing. As someone who’s dedicated his whole life to this sport, I’m so honored to have worked alongside this team of actors and filmmakers. This has been such a thrill for me. I genuinely promise this film delivers on every level.”
Why Formula One?
After Hamilton’s introduction, director Joseph Kosinski discussed why he wanted to make a movie about Formula One racing.
“Well, I think like a lot of people during Covid, I found myself starting to watch the races and found this great television show called ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’. I found that it’s an incredibly unique sport in that your teammate is also your, in many ways, your greatest competition. For me, that makes for a great drama. I also loved how the first season of the show focused on the last place teams, the underdogs rather than the Ferrari, the Mercedes, the Red Bull, the teams that you see at the front of the pack. I thought that there was an interesting story to be told about an underdog team trying to not win the championship, but just trying to win one race against these titans of the sport. So that’s where it started. Lucky for me, I had a contact who was in Formula One that I could reach out to, so I did.”
Commitment to Authenticity
Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in Apple Original Films’ ‘F1,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films.
Kosinski discussed what steps he took to make sure the race scenes looked as authentic and accurate as possible.
“Well, the first thing I did was I reached out to Lewis Hamilton who gave that incredible intro, and obviously he lives that sport every day. He’s one of the greatest of all time and I asked him to be my partner on making this film. So having Lewis gave me this incredible in into this world, and one of the people he introduced me to was Toto Wolf, the team principal of Mercedes. I started talking with them about wanting to capture the speed of this sport, and It was actually Toto who came up with the idea of rather than making a movie car fast enough to achieve these speeds, but he said, “Why don’t you start with a race car and take a real race car and then work the cameras that you need into that”. So, we did that. We bought six F2 cars, real F2 race cars and worked with Mercedes AMG, the Formula One team and their engineers to build real race cars that could carry our camera equipment recorders and transmitters for making this film. So, every time you see Brad or Damson driving in this movie, they’re driving on their own in one of these real race cars on a real F1 track. So that’s kind of how we approached the making of this film.”
Kosinski also talked about the research he did to prepare for the movie.
“It’s one of the nice benefits of making a movie about Formula One is a lot of research, a lot of travel, and I got to see amazing tracks all over the world. One thing I really love about Formula One is every race has its own character and every weekend it’s very different. We end the film in Abu Dhabi, which is this incredible track that is just a spectacular way to end the film. But every track has its own personality, its own character, and because we went to all these places for real, you really feel like you’ve gone around the world when you watch the movie.”
Shooting the Racing Scenes
Coming off the success of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, Kosinski explained how that movie prepared him for this film and how he was able to capture the incredible Formula One race scenes and bring that excitement and action to the big screen.
“I mean, the big challenge was just the camera system itself. We had to develop a brand-new camera system taking everything we learned on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and pushing it much further. You can’t put 60 pounds of gear onto a race car and expect it’s going to perform the same way. So, we took those ‘Top Gun’ cameras and we worked closely with Sony, sizing them down to something about a quarter of the size. Then on top of that, something I really wanted to do on this film was to be able to operate and move the cameras while we were shooting, which was something we couldn’t do on ‘Top Gun’. So, we have motorized mounts on the car as well. So, you have transmitters that are transmitting the picture back. We’ve got transmitters controlling the movement of the camera. I’m sitting at the base station with Claudio (Miranda), our cinematographer looking at 16 screens. I’ve got camera operators on the controls for the cameras and it’s calling out. The Camera moves like a live television show while they’re shooting. So much research and technology and development went into just being able to roll a frame of footage in addition to the training for the actors and the logistics of shooting at a real race. So, it was a lot of prep to be able to pull this off.”
Kosinski shot some scenes during real Formula One Championship races and explained the complications of trying to execute those scenes in a small window of time.
“I mean, the tracks, the locations are one thing, but on race weekend, it just becomes this whole different world. It’s like a traveling circus. So, we couldn’t just shoot at the track without the race going on. It would’ve been the wrong dynamic. So, we were there on race weekend with hundreds of thousands of people watching us finding these slots between practice and qualifying, that Formula One graciously afforded us. So, we’d get these 10- or 15-minute slots where we’d have to have Brad and Damson ready in the cars, warmed up with and ready to go, and as soon as practice ended, they would pull out onto the track. We’d have 24 to 30 cameras ready, rolling, and I’d have to shoot these scenes in these very short, intense, high-speed windows. But the crowd you’re seeing was there in the stands. I don’t think the crowd realized that Brad Pitt was in the car that was in front of them. So, there was this heightened quality to every race. We were also shooting dramatic scenes on the grid before races, so it was a unique way of working rather than having a whole day to shoot a scene like you normally would on a movie. We had these 9- or 10-minute slots, so it was like a live stage play, but in front of hundreds of thousands of people shooting at 180 miles an hour, literally. So, it was an adrenaline rush every weekend, but what we captured is something you can’t fake, you can’t stage. it was like game day. I remember our first day shooting at Silverstone (racetrack) with Javier (Bardem), Brad and Tobias Menzies. I literally had a piece of paper with, it looked like an American football diagram of where everyone had to stand and walk and where you had moved to. It was like we looked at it and it was like, break, let’s go do this. I think we got three takes in seven minutes or something and got what you see in the film. But the actors, you feel that in their performance, they know it’s like, we’re not going to get 15 tries at it. You got to nail it.”
Driving School
‘F1’ opens in theaters on June 27, 2025.
Actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris had to learn to drive real Formula One cars for the film and Kosinski discussed how Hamilton helped in their training.
“Brad and Damson are both driving in this film and to get them into these race cars, it required months, literally months of training. But the first day was fun. It was me, Brad and Lewis Hamilton at the track together, all of us jumping in cars and driving each other around in sports cars. Which was one of those things, I’ll never forget having Lewis Hamilton as your driving instructor. But what we learned and what Lewis was really interested was seeing did Brad know how to drive right? Because if Brad can’t drive, this whole film wasn’t going to work. What Lewis was very happy to discover was that Brad had a lot of just natural ability right from the start, and I don’t know where he got that or if he was born with it, but he rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it. He’s just a very talented, naturally blessed driver, which for Lewis, gave him a lot of confidence that we might have a shot at pulling this off. He just had that natural feel for grip in the car and what we’re doing on this film is dangerous. So yeah, you must be fearless, and when you see Brad driving, that’s not acting. He’s really concentering on keeping that car on the track and out of the wall during all those scenes. So that’s something that you just can’t fake, I think. I hope the audience feels that when they watch the movie.”
Finding the Right Story
The director talked about how important it was to find the right script and unique characters for ‘F1’.
“It always starts with a great script and a great story. I knew that no matter how accurate or exciting the racing is, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re not telling a story supported with great characters. So, it all starts with the script, and I worked with Ehren Kruger, who also worked on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. He wrote an incredible script for us to start with. This story has everything. It has the tension you would expect in a movie like this with all the action, but at the same time, there’s real heart here, especially in the story of Sonny Hayes and this kind of redemption journey he’s on. There’s humor in there, there’s some romance, there’s a little bit of everything that you need to tell a fully fleshed out rich story like this.”
The Cast
(L to R) Damson Idris and Brad Pitt in ‘F1’. Photo: Warner Bros. and Apple Original FIlms.
The director also discussed his exceptional cast and what it was like to work with Oscar winners Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.
“The most important thing a director does beyond developing the script is casting. Casting is everything. The group of actors that we pulled together for this film is incredible. Javier Bardem and Brad together, their friendship, which is an old one- three decades old, really is the core of this story and of this film and just seeing them together on screen is special. Kerry Condon, she’s incredible. She plays the team technical director, so she’s the person in charge of designing the car and the engineers and the drivers. There’s some healthy tension there on every team, and it makes for a great relationship between the two of them. Then Damson Iris, who people might know from his television career (‘Snowfall’), but maybe not from the movies. I’m really excited for people to see him here going toe to toe with Brad on a big screen and a big story. So, we have an incredible cast of supporting actors as well. It’s a great ensemble.”
Is ’F1’ for Racing Fans Only?
“Not at all,” answered Kosinski and the director went on to assure audiences that they don’t need to be Formula One fans to enjoy the movie.
“This is a movie about friendship, teamwork, sacrifice, and redemption. The story I think is universal. It’s just set in this incredibly exciting world of Formula One, and if you are a Formula One fan, I think you’re going to like this movie. If you don’t know anything about Formula One, I think you’re going to like this movie and you might come out wanting to watch some races or maybe even go to a race. So yeah, you don’t need to know anything going in. We’ll teach you everything you need to enjoy this story.”
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What is the plot of ‘F1”?
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).
Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Preview:
Tom Cruise and Paramount are developing a third ‘Top Gun’ movie.
Ehren Kruger is writing the script.
Little else is known about the new movie beyond Joseph Kosinski once more likely to direct.
While the biggest news surrounding Tom Cruise this week has been word of him agreeing a deal to produce and appear in movies for Warner Bros., that was not going to be at the expense of his work with Paramount.
After all, he and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie are still deep in making the eighth (and currently untitled) ‘Mission Impossible’ movie, which is set for release next year.
And based on a new report from Puck, he could be taking to the skies again for a third ‘Top Gun’ movie to follow the hugely successful ‘Maverick’ in 2022.
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What’s the story of the new ‘Top Gun’?
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
As of right now, there’s no script, so no one has any idea of what might happen in the new movie. But we can expect to see Cruise back as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the veteran pilot who was brought in for ‘Maverick’ to teach some cocky younger pilots how to fly a tricky mission.
What he’ll be up to next time is anyone’s guess, but we’d guess he’ll still be pushing back against authority and living by his own rules.
Monica Barbaro and Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Ehren Kruger, who was one of several writers on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is aboard to work on the first draft of the script, but you’ve got to figure that Cruise’s regular creative collaborator McQuarrie, who helped land the last movie from a writing and producing front, will also have a hand.
As for a director, ‘Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski may well return, because reuniting the team feels like the best idea if the studio wants to replicate the success.
In front of the camera, there’s talk of Miles Teller (who played Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Mitchell’s deceased old friend and radar intercept officer, who harbored a grudge against our hero) and Glen Powell (as cocky pilot Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin) coming back for more flight action. Given how audiences responded, particularly to Hangman, that would be a good move.
When will a new ‘Top Gun’ movie fly on to screens?
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Don’t go expecting this one any time soon. It took years to crack ‘Maverick’ and given Cruise’s busy schedule (beyond finishing the next ‘Mission: Impossible’, he has several other movies on his to do list), it could be at least a couple of years before this one is filming, let alone jumping off the cinematic deck and shoving into overdrive.
So if you’re waiting for Maverick and co to buzz the cine-tower, you’re going to have to be patient.
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Peters, who for a few years was best known as Quicksilver in the ‘X-Men’ movies that kicked off with ‘First Class’ (he joined for ‘Days of Future Past’), has more recently made his name starring for Ryan Murphy as Jeffrey Dahmer in ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,’ and in several seasons of ‘American Horror Story’.
He’s also been seen in movies such as ‘ Kick-Ass’ and ‘Elvis & Nixon,’ and appeared alongside Kate Winslet in limited series ‘Mare of Easttown’.
What’s the story of ‘Tron: Ares’?
No details have been released about the potential plot for this one, but it’ll likely pick up some strands from 2010’s ‘Tron: Legacy’, which saw the return of Jeff Bridges from the 1982 original and starred Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. Jesse Wigutow has been writing the script, though any forward movement on that is on hold because of the writers’ guild strike.
‘Legacy’ director Joseph Kosinski talked up the idea of a sequel around that movie’s release, but development stalled out and he moved on to other things, including a slightly successful other legacy sequel called ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’
Leto’s name was first mentioned back in 2017, when he tweeted his excitement to be part of a follow-up movie.
Here’s his announcement:
“I am so very excited and proud to confirm that YES––I will be starring in ‘Tron’. We will work as hard as we possibly can to create something that I hope you all will love. We have some very special ideas in store for you all… See you in the grid! I’m struck with such gratitude for the opportunity to bring this movie to life, especially as both the original video game and the film affected me so deeply as a young child. The fact that I get to be a part of this new chapter is mind-blowing.”
Garth Davis, the director behind ‘Lion’ and 2018’s ‘Mary Magdalene’ was mentioned as a potential filmmaker, though despite aggressively pursuing the job, he’s since dropped off the project.
Rønning, the Norwegian filmmaker who made his name co-directing voyaging movie ‘Kon-Tiki’, has become a reliable go-to director for Disney.
As of right now, ‘Tron: Ares’ does not have a release date. And given the potential for actors to strike once the SAG-AFTRA contract runs out at the end of this month, we don’t expect that to change for a while yet. Shooting is scheduled for August, but we’ll see if it pans out.
A scene from ‘Tron: Legacy’ directed by Joseph Kosinski.
