During a conversation at the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit, Jerry Brookheimer dropped hints on follow-ups to installments for “F1: The Movie,” “Top Gun 3,” “Top Gun 3,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
However, most veteran producers spent a wide range of conversations with Variety’s Clayton Davis, explaining the difficult task of defining the role of producers and discussing the state of the film business.
Brookheimer was a huge hit with director Joseph Kosinski and Apple and Warner Bros. this summer in “F1: The Movie.” Given that Formula 1 races are less popular than Europe, I thought the film was at risk in the US market. But that’s exactly why it clicked in the American multiplex, Bruckheimer said.
“It gave you a great ride and you immersed yourself in this world where you knew nothing. And when you went out you knew more about what these drivers would go through. They’re some of the greatest athletes in the world.
“We were trained for four months just to drive these cars. That’s how difficult it is for them to drive. And they’re heading to 220 mph,” stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris said.
Bruckheimer has credited Kosinski and Apple to pursue camera innovation so that directors can shoot incredible racing footage that will satisfy them as they progress through the film “F1.”
“Joe is trained as an engineer and an architect, and he is very accurate about everything,” Brookheimer said. “He loves our business and loves to tell stories. He’s an incredible technician who watches the 16 different camera angles of that car four at a time. They developed new technology so we were able to put these cameras in the car. It felt like you were driving those cars, just like Joe designed it and took a photo with (film director) Claudio Miranda.”
“F1: The Movie” was released in late June and sold $624 million worldwide. All of that investment was paid off by giving movie fans a reason to view “F1” as a film event, the producer said.
“It’s up to us to be in the industry to create entertainment that people want to leave their homes and go out and see,” Brookheimer said. “We all have a kitchen in our home, right? But we all want to go out for dinner. But you want a good meal, so we work really hard to bring something to the audience we have, our great writers, our great actors, our great directors.”
To that end, Bruckheimer recommends hiring drive actors such as “F1” stars Pitt and Tom Cruise, as well as his “Top Gun” collaborator.
“Because when you work with Tom or you work with Brad, they just want to win. They want to make great movies. They want to have great performances. They want to make sure they can promote the film.
Davis worked hard to pull out a scoop of the film from Brookheimer. The producers didn’t give up much, but in what he said, in what he said was about 30 projects at various stages of development, he nodded to some well-known prospects. “We’re developing another ‘Top Gun’. Hopefully we’ll create another “F1″. We’re working on another ‘pirate’,” Brookheimer said. “We’re working on a lot of different films that are successful and hopefully we can make it all.” (Davis was planning on calling “f2?” soon?)
Bruckheimer has long resumes in films and television, including well-known photographs and cultural touchstones from the 1980s to the present: American Gigolo, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Bad Boys, Top Gun, Top Gun, Armageddon, Peearl Harbor, The Rock Down, Fack Hawk Down, Race, Cold Case, No Traces, Fire Country. At this stage of his career, Brookheimer has nothing left to prove. However, he closed his time on stage with a heartfelt Kapler-esque explanation of why he continues to do his practical job of making films and TV shows after 50 years in the trench.
“It’s the biggest thing to entertain people. It’s not about money anymore. It’s about the smiles you put on people’s faces, the fact that you move them,” Brookheimer explained. “You’ll be away from their lives for a few hours, feel good or feel something when they go outside. And that’s the joy I get when I stand behind the audience and watch one of our films that they’re actually moving.
(Photo: Clayton Davis and Jerry Brookheimer)
