So, stunt coordinator-turned-filmmaker David Leitch is a hot commodity right now in Hollywood. He’s so far directed “John Wick,” “Atomic Blonde,” “Deadpool 2,” “Hobbs and Shaw,” and last year’s “Bullet Train.”
Vanity Fair has the first images of “The Fall Guy,” several months ahead of its March 2024 release. The images include star Ryan Gosling hanging from a crane, being dragged behind a vehicle, and hanging on the hood of a a shattered car.
The film stars Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Stephanie Hsu. Here’s the official synopsis:
A battered and past-his-prime stuntman finds himself working on a movie set with the star for whom he doubled long ago and who replaced him. The star then goes missing.
Leitch wrapped production on his latest, titled “The Fall Guy,” this past March and a test-screening occurred for the action film. Post-production has been completed on the film.
Here’s a reaction:
“The film is in the same tone as “Bullet Train” and “The Lost City.” However, Gosling and (Emily) Blunt have flat chemistry. It feels like it’s trying to tip its hat towards stuntmen and their work, but feels half-assed and self congratulatory.”
“There’s also a meta-ness of having a stuntman as its lead and occasionally showing how silly making a movie can be. The action scenes are well-done, but there’s not much to chew on here, it’s a fairly empty exercise in style. It moves just like most of Leitch’s other movies and they all involve pretty big elaborate moving parts.”
“The Fall Guy” is set to be released on March 1, 2024, by Universal Pictures.
I wouldn't call this film great — it stops short of that because of how neatly it resolves itself — but I'll give Rock his due here: this is much better than his previous directorial effort, "Top Five."