Brad Pitt Reveals Why Tom Cruise Pulled out of High-Octane 2019 Movie

Years before the success of summer blockbuster F1, Brad Pitt revealed he almost starred alongside Tom Cruise in the 2019 racing biopic Ford v Ferrari.

Pitt reflected on his version of Ford v Ferrari with Cruise that never came to be in a recent interview with The National News, revealing what prompted the Mission: Impossible star to drop out.

The film, which was originally set to be directed by F1 and Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski, would go on to be helmed by James Mangold and star Christian Bale and Matt Damon as racer Ken Miles and automotive designer Carroll Shelby, respectively.

“Tom and I, for a while there, were on Ford v Ferrari with Joe [to direct],” Pitt explained. “This was about 10 years before the guys who actually made it — and made it a great movie.”

The Oscar winner continued, “What it came down to is that we both wanted to drive, and he wanted to play Shelby, and I wanted to play Ken Miles. And when Tom realized that Carroll Shelby would not be driving much in the movie, it didn’t come through.”

He noted, “So I’m not sure how that’s going to work [in a potential F1 The Movie sequel], but we’ll give it a go. I’d love to.”

Pitt also shared in his interview that he would be open to an F1 sequel in general. “I would want to drive again, selfishly speaking,” he said. “F1 is still the focus. It needs to be on Joshua Pierce – Damson Idris’s character – and the rest of the team fighting for a championship.”

“Where does Sonny fit in? I’m not sure,” he continued. “Sonny’s probably out on the Bonneville Salt Flats, setting speed records or something like that. So I’m not sure beyond that, just yet. Right now, I’m just pleased as punch that something like this can bring people together. That’s the power of this kind of cinema.”

Pitt previously revealed last month to E! News that he would also be open to reuniting with Cruise, with whom he starred in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire, under one condition: “Well, I’m not gonna hang my ass off airplanes and s— like that, so when he does something again that’s on the ground.”