Plot twist: Brad Pitt’s new movie took 14 years — and he’s not the lead
Brad Pitt has boarded a film 14 years in the making — and, in a neat twist, he isn’t the lead, taking an unusual role instead.
Here’s a twist for you: Brad Pitt has just hopped on a film project that, by the time it finally makes its debut, will have been gestating for an astonishing 14 years. But before anyone gets excited about seeing the Hollywood star in another heart-throb leading role, let’s nip that right in the bud — he doesn’t appear on screen at all. Instead, Pitt’s turning up in an entirely different capacity.
Filming on From Inside Out — The Architecture of Peter Zumthor stretched across 14 years.
Pitt Gets Architectural
This whole business is about a documentary called From Inside Out — The Architecture of Peter Zumthor. Directed by Wim Wenders (who’s dabbled in 3D before, if you remember Pina), the film gives viewers an unusually intimate look at the life and works of the renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, including some properly iconic buildings in the Alps and the much-talked-about new LACMA (that’s the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for non-Californians) which Zumthor has finally completed this year.
Unlike his usual cinematic antics, Pitt is involved here as executive producer. That means the movie opens with the title card ‘Brad Pitt presents’, but don’t mistake this for Plan B business — his production company wasn’t involved and Pitt himself isn’t ponying up any cash or angling for profit. Instead, the film’s producers say it’s all about his ‘personal support for the project and his admiration for both Peter Zumthor and Wim Wenders’.
Why Pitt, Why Now?
In case anyone’s wondering how Brad Pitt landed in the midst of European modernism, it’s not nearly as random as you’d think. Pitt’s a well-known architecture buff and, back in 2019, he even spoke at a key L.A. County hearing on behalf of Zumthor’s controversial LACMA project. At the time, plenty of critics had a go at Zumthor’s radical redesign, but with Pitt as a high-profile supporter, public opinion — and crucially, the vote — shifted. Some say that made all the difference in finally getting the new museum built. So, slapping his name on this documentary is partly a nod to how crucial he’s been to Zumthor’s story in America.
The filmmakers have gone for full immersion by shooting the documentary in 3D, aiming to give viewers that in-the-room-with-Zumthor feel. It was put together by Wenders’ own Road Movies banner along with DCM, for extra art-house credibility.
First Stop: Venice
If you want to catch this one, your first chance is at next month’s Venice Film Festival, where it’s airing out of competition. No Brad Pitt onscreen, but if you’re into glass, concrete, and a side of celebrity endorsement, you’ll know where to look.