Two-time Oscar nomineeRyan Goslingis set to star in an untitled stuntman drama from directorDavid Leitchand screenwriterDrew Pearce, who previously worked together on theFast and FuriousspinoffHobbs & Shaw.
Universal Pictures won a heated seven-figure auction for the project, reportedly beating out Netflix, MGM, Sony and Lionsgate. Of course, Leitch has a first-look deal at Universal, giving that studio the edge. Gosling will produce with Leitch and his 87North partnerKelly McCormick, as well asGuymon Casadyof Entertainment 360, which is the content arm of Management 360.
Though the project is believed to be in the vein of the ’80s TV seriesThe Fall Guy, if not an outright adaptation, but either way, the project is clearly personal for Leitch, who is a former stuntman himself. He and fellow stuntmanChad Stahelskiteamed up to co-directJohn Wickand saw their filmmaking careers take off, with Leitch going on to direct movies likeDeadpool 2andAtomic Blonde. Gosling is no stranger to playing a stuntman, as that’s what hisDrivecharacter did when he wasn’t manning the getaway car during LA-area heists.
I’ve long been drawn to the world of stuntmen, and even wrote a script in college about a young man who goes on a road trip to Canada to meet his stuntman uncle. It seems like such a fascinating job, and these brave men and women get such little credit, especially considering the fact that they lay their lives and bodies on the line for the sake of art. The Academy doesn’t even honor people who do stunts, and that seems incredibly unfair to me.
Leitch is currently prepping Sony’s action movieBullet TrainstarringBrad Pitt,while Gosling has a full plate himself, as he’s set to star oppositeChris Evansin theRusso brothers' Netflix movieThe Gray Man,a Wolfman moviefromLeigh Whannell, and anastronaut moviefromPhil LordandChris Miller. Gosling is one of my favorite actors and it’s been too long since I’ve seen him in something great. I wasn’t a fan ofFirst ManorBlade Runner 2049, so Gosling hasn’t really impressed me sinceLa La Land, and I can’t wait for him to return to peak form, because I know he’s capable of real greatness.
Deadlinebroke the news about this stuntman movie, and you canclick hereto watch our Collider Connected interview with Leitch and Stahelski.
