Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton enters a new race this summer — as a movie producer chasing the box office crown. He speeds into multiplexes with “F1 the Movie,” the high-octane blockbuster hopeful from his company Dawn Apollo Films and Apple Original Films.
For his recent Variety cover story with Apple’s Tim Cook, Hamilton opened up about making the professional pivot.
“I grew up in a time where people really put you in a box, and it’s like you can only do one thing,” Hamilton explained. “When I was at school, I was very creative, and then when I got into racing, there was a lot that had to be suppressed or put to the side. And as I got older, I really started to have to create space to be able to tap into these different creative outlets, which I have found inspiring and have given me a lot more confidence.”
Lewis Hamilton on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada on June 15.
Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
Hamilton was closely involved in the making of the racing movie, which stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris as drivers on a scrappy, underdog team chasing their first win on the Formula 1 circuit. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joseph Kosinski, “F1” was filmed during the 2023 and 2024 race seasons, meaning that Hamilton simultaneously managed his day job as a driver and a new career as the film’s producer.
“I would often come to L.A. and be in Jerry’s office, which was mad, or Joe’s studio going through beat by beat the script, the dialog, the terminology that’s authentic to racing drivers, switches, gear shift sounds you’ll hear that are overlapping,” Hamilton recalled. “I got to get involved in all that. And then we got [composer] Hans Zimmer on board, and we go to his studio and see him create. It’s been an emotional roller coaster.”
Lewis Hamilton (center) with stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris at the “F1” New York Premiere on June 16 in New York.
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety
Hamilton isn’t the first athlete to try his hand at producing scripted content — think LeBron James and his SpringHill Company or the late Kobe Bryant, who won an Oscar for best animated short — but his entrance on the scene underscores that audiences are invested in more than just football, basketball and baseball.
Here are a few more of Hollywood’s new heavy hitters.
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Peyton Manning
Image Credit: Getty Images SPORT: Football
SHINGLE: Omaha Productions
SCORE: The NFL Hall of Famer launched his entertainment career with docuseries like “Peyton’s Places” and the “Manningcast,” which he co-hosts with brother Eli Manning for ESPN, where the company has a lucrative long-term, multi-platform deal; plus, “Quarterbacks” returns for a second season on Netflix in July. Now, Omaha gets into the scripted game with “Chad Powers,” a comedy for Hulu that stars Glen Powell and comes out this fall. -
Stephen Curry
Image Credit: Getty Images SPORT: Basketball
SHINGLE: Unanimous Media
SCORE: In the producing space, Curry’s version of shooting threes means creating content across platforms, genres and formats. At the Annecy Animation Festival, Unanimous revealed Caleb McLaughlin and Gabrielle Union will star in “GOAT,” an animated comedy for Sony that debuts in 2026. -
Simone Biles
Image Credit: Getty Images SPORT: Gymnastics
SHINGLE: Religion of Sports
SCORE: After pulling back the curtain on her Olympics return in the Netflix docuseries “Simone Biles Rising,” the gold medalist teamed up with Tom Brady and Michael Strahan’s Religion of Sports to develop more sports stories, with particular attention to athletes of color and mental wellness. -
Serena Williams
Image Credit: Getty Images SPORT: Tennis
SHINGLE: Nine Two Six Productions
SCORE: After executive producing the Oscar-winning “King Richard,” the Grand Slam great launched Nine Two Six, with an emphasis on female stories. Next up is the Netflix adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel “Carrie Soto Is Back,” which was loosely inspired by Serena and her sister Venus Williams’ tennis prowess. -
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird
Image Credit: Getty Images SPORTS: Soccer and basketball
SHINGLE: A Touch More
SCORE: What began as an Instagram Live series hosted by the sports-star couple — one, a World Cup champ and the other, a WNBA legend — has evolved into a hit podcast and an entertainment company. A Touch More’s first scripted offering is a series based on Meryl Wilsner’s queer romance novel “Cleat Cute.”
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