Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance at the “F1” premiere in London, joining Brad Pitt on the red carpet as the two A-list stars posed for photographs together. It was a reunion 31 years in the making as Pitt and Cruise starred together in Neil Jordan’s 1994 horror classic “Interview With the Vampire.”
Pitt made headlines earlier this month by telling E! News at the Mexico premiere for “F1” that he would be interested in acting opposite Cruise again, although the “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Oscar winner is not too interested in matching Cruise’s love for aerial stunts.
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“Well, I’m not gonna hang my ass off airplanes and shit like that,” Pitt quipped about reuniting with Cruise on the big screen. “So when he does something again that’s on the ground, [then yes].”
Both Cruise and Pitt are headlining two of the summer movie season’s biggest tentpole releases. Cruise was back as Ethan Hunt in May’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” which set a franchise opening weekend record with $200 million globally. The Paramount-backed action movie has since earned $540 million and counting. Pitt, meanwhile, is the star of Apple and Warner Bros.’ racing movie “F1,” directed by Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” helmer Joseph Kosinski. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer also worked on both movies.
Kosinski recently revealed to GQ magazine that he originally planned to reunite Cruise and Pitt on the big screen for his own version of the racing drama “Ford v Ferrari,” although the studio never approved his budget. Cruise and Pitt were planning to do all their own driving in the film, which Pitt now achieved in “F1.” James Mangold ended up directing “Ford v Ferrari” with Christian Bale and Matt Damon instead.
“Tom always pushes it to the limit, but at the same time is super capable and very skilled,” Kosinski said when asked by GQ about what would’ve happened had Cruise starred in “F1” over Pitt. “They both have the natural talent for driving. But yeah, I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more.”
Pitt’s “F1” opens in theaters June 27.
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