Tinseltown abundantly relies on make-believe. Then, what explains the rise of what-ifs in showbiz? Well, just because a vision is made on the board with a star in mind, imagination never hits the brakes in Hollywood. Amid the frenzied anticipation around the upcoming American sports drama film, F1, starring Brad Pitt, director Joseph Kosinski shared what the film would be like if it starred Tom Cruise rather than the Fight Club actor. 

Considering Cruise is practically a Mission: Impossible franchise with legs, he could easily lead the pack. But Kosinski? He sees more than that.

In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer discussed the forthcoming Brad Pitt starrer, F1. Kosinski and Bruckheimer began developing the racing movie while they were in post-production on Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise. Speaking of what could have happened if Cruise were to star in F1 instead of Pitt, Kosinski wasted no time in acknowledging their natural talent for driving, and the former’s knack for pushing it to the limit. 

“But yeah, I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more,” Kosinski quipped. The filmmaker brought several crew members on board with him and Bruckheimer from Top Gun: Maverick to F1, and many were accustomed to working with Cruise on Mission: Impossible movies. Shedding light on Kosinski’s casting assessment, Graham Kelly, an action-vehicle supervisor, joked, “We’d have had a crash,” if Cruise were actually to replace Pitt in the movie. 

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Graham Kelly explained a visible difference in the ways Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt work, drawing from his experiences in the Mission: Impossible films.

During their conversation with GQ ahead of the theatrical release of F1 on June 25, 2025, Graham Kelly joined Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer in their what-if brainstorming sessions. Having teamed up with Tom Cruise on quite a few Mission: Impossible films, Kelly confessed it is absolutely stressful for him to build cars and perform stunts. “Tom pushes it to the limit,” he said, before adding, “that terrifies me.” 

As for Brad Pitt? Kelly is much more confident. Pitt listens and is very self-aware. If it ever comes to it, Kelly believes the 61-year-old would be the first to say, “Yeah, I’m not going to do that.” Before Top Gun: Maverick, Kosinski set his sights on developing his version of Ford vs. Ferrari with Cruise and Pitt attached to star in it. Although it could not materialize over the high budget proposed, F1 brings full circle to Kosinski’s dreams.

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What do you think could have happened if Tom Cruise had starred in F1 instead of Brad Pitt? Let us know in the comments below!