The Fall Guy (2024 film)

The Fall Guy
Teaser poster
Directed byDavid Leitch
Written byDrew Pearce
Based onThe Fall Guy
by Glen A. Larson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJonathan Sela
Edited byElísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Music byDominic Lewis
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • March 12, 2024 (2024-03-12) (SXSW)
  • May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) (United States)
Running time
126 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$125–150 million[a]
Box office$65.4 million[8][2]

The Fall Guy is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce, loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. It follows a stuntman (Ryan Gosling) working on his ex-girlfriend's (Emily Blunt) directorial debut action film, only to find himself involved in a conspiracy surrounding the film's lead actor (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The film also features Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke.

The Fall Guy premiered at SXSW on March 12, 2024, and was released in the United States on May 3. It received generally positive reviews, and set a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls performed in a car.

Plot[edit]

Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt performer, works as the stunt double for famous action star Tom Ryder. However, he gets severely injured during a stunt gone wrong and he abandons his career and his girlfriend Jody Moreno, a camerawoman.

18 months later, Colt, now a valet for a small Mexican restaurant, is contacted by Gail Meyer, Tom's film producer. She tells him that Jody is directing her first film, a science fiction epic called Metalstorm, and wants Colt to join the production in Sydney, Australia.

After arriving on set, Colt learns that Jody never asked for him and is still angry about their breakup. Gail reveals that Tom has disappeared after getting involved with drugs, and she wants Colt to find him before his absence causes the film's cancellation.

Not wanting Jody's directorial debut ruined, Colt visits Tom's hotel room and a nightclub, where he gets into fights. In the hotel room, he finds a dead body in a bathtub full of ice. When Colt returns with the police, he finds the body has disappeared.

Meanwhile, as production of Metalstorm continues, Colt and Jody begin to rekindle their relationship until Gail abruptly informs him that he must return to the United States. Instead, he continues looking for Tom by tracking down his PA Alma Milan. They are both attacked by people looking for a phone belonging to Tom in Alma's possession.

Colt defeats them after an extended chase through Sydney, involving a rubbish truck. He and his friend Dan Tucker, the stunt coordinator on Metalstorm, unlock the phone at Tom's apartment. They discover a video of an intoxicated Tom accidentally killing his previous stuntman Henry. The henchmen attack Colt and Dan, destroying the phone with shotgun pellets.

Dan escapes, but Colt is captured and brought face-to-face with Tom, who has been hiding out on a yacht on Gail's instructions. He reveals that Gail is framing Colt for the crime using deepfake technology to replace Tom's face with Colt's on the incriminating video.

Tom also reveals that Colt and Henry's "accidents" were orchestrated by himself. Henry's body is discovered and the doctored video is released on news media, while Gail tries to convince Jody that he is guilty. Colt escapes and is presumed dead after a boat chase, though he swims to safety.

The next day, Tom arrives at the Metalstorm set with his goons and the production continues. Colt secretly returns to the set and convinces Jody of his innocence. Together, they trick Tom into participating in a stunt sequence, and then tricked into confessing, while he is wired with a microphone.

The rest of the crew, led by Dan, hold off his goons. Gail steals the recording at gunpoint and tries to escape in a helicopter, but Jody helps Colt leap onto the helicopter in mid-air. He retrieves the recording and falls onto a crash mat prepared by Dan.

Metalstorm premieres at San Diego Comic Con, with Jason Momoa in the lead role, and the film becomes a blockbuster. Colt gets exonerated, and he and Jody get back together.

In a mid-credits flashback, Gail and Tom stagger out of the crashed helicopter. They are confronted by what appear to be the police (Lee Majors and Heather Thomas from the original Fall Guy series), and Gail attempts to bribe them only to discover they are crew members from the prop department. Tom panics and tries to call his agent, wandering off to try to get signal on his cell phone. He wanders into an area rigged with radio-triggered pyrotechnics, causing them to blow him up. Alma then makes a call and asks to be connected to Jason Momoa's agent.

Cast[edit]

Additionally, Ben Knight appears as Dressler,[15] Tom's bodyguard.[16] Zara Michales appears as Venti Kushner; Adam Dunn appears as Nigel; Matuse appears as Doone; and Dan Reardon appears as Fry.[15] Lee Majors and Heather Thomas, who starred in the original television series, have cameo appearances in the film as police officers in a mid-credit scene,[17] while Jason Momoa cameos as himself.[15]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

In July 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that a film based on the 1980s series The Fall Guy was in development. DreamWorks Pictures had teamed up with producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald on the project,[18] and Martin Campbell was in talks to direct the film.[19] DreamWorks, through the Walt Disney Studios' Touchstone Pictures distribution label, was to release the film in North America, Latin America, Russia, Australia, and Asia, while Mister Smith Entertainment would have handled sales in the remaining territories. In September 2013, Dwayne Johnson was in negotiations to play the title role and McG was in talks to direct.[20]

In September 2020, Ryan Gosling, director David Leitch, and writer Drew Pearce were said to be working on an "unnamed stuntman film" that had been picked up by Universal Pictures.[21] In May 2022, it was confirmed this project was a film adaptation of The Fall Guy. Loosely based on the TV series, the film is produced by Universal with Leitch's 87North Productions and Gosling's Entertainment 360, with Leitch and Kelly McCormick producing alongside Gosling and Guymon Casady. Pearce is also an executive producer, as is Geoff Shaevitz.[22][10] Variety reported that the Australian Government and the New South Wales state authorities added funds to the production up to A$30 million and A$14.5 million respectively, with Paul Fletcher, Australia's Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, estimating a boom to the local economy, over 1,000 Australian cast and crew, and more than 3,015 Australian film extras.[23][24]

Emily Blunt was cast in August 2022.[25] Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Stephanie Hsu joined in October,[26][14] and Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham and Teresa Palmer were cast the following month.[11][12][13]

Gosling and Blunt said that they took inspiration from Leitch and his producer wife, Kelly McCormick, for the romantic relationship between their characters.[27][28] Blunt's role was originally a makeup artist, and it was rewritten to be a first-time director before she received a draft of the script.[29] Blunt had some input on the character, stating that "We all kind of built her together, because I think, maybe in the original script, she was quite severe, and that sort of tough director"; she thought it was more interesting to see someone who is "in a situation where they're way over their head."[29] For the character, Blunt took some inspiration from director Greta Gerwig and several other people she had met.[29][30]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography began in October 2022 in Sydney, Australia,[31] at the Disney Studios Australia in Moore Park, Sydney.[32] In January 2023, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed for several daytime hours for filming of scenes involving Gosling.[33][34] Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film had a production budget of $130 million.[6][7] Deadline Hollywood also stated its $130 million production cost after Australian tax credits, though added that "some have heard the production cost was even higher at $150 [million]."[4]

The film used practical stunts, with highly choreographed action sequences. Leitch stated, "It was a love letter to stunts. We knew we had to be authentic in that world."[35] It broke a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car, with eight and a half rolls performed by stunt driver Logan Holladay.[36][37] Cannon rolls are performed by firing a cannon-like device into the ground from a moving vehicle.

Music[edit]

The Fall Guy's score was composed by Dominic Lewis.[38] The film incorporates songs by AC/DC, Taylor Swift, Kiss, The Darkness, and Blake Shelton's cover of "Unknown Stuntman", the theme song of the series originally performed by Lee Majors.[39][40]

Post-production[edit]

Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir was on set during production, returning to Los Angeles for post-production. Sound was conducted by Frankie Montano, Jon Taylor and the team at Universal StudioPost. Visual effects studios Rising Sun Pictures, Framestore, Cinesite, Crafty Apes, Opsis and Day for Nite were involved. The bulk of VFX work was in the creation of Metalstorm, wire and safety removal and cleanup. DI was led by colorist Dave Hussey at Company 3.[41]

Release[edit]

The Fall Guy had its world premiere at SXSW on March 12, 2024.[42] It was released in Australia and New Zealand on April 24,[43] in the United Kingdom on May 2, and in the United States the following day.[44][45] Universal screened The Fall Guy at its CinemaCon panel on April 8.[46]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

As of May 5, 2024, The Fall Guy has grossed $28.5 million in the United States and Canada and $36.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $65.4 million.[8][2]

In the United States and Canada, The Fall Guy was released alongside Tarot, and was projected to gross $30–35 million from 4,002 theaters in its opening weekend, with some rival studios estimating it could reach $40 million.[6][7] The film made $10.5 million on its first day, including $3.15 million from preview screenings. It went on to slightly under-perform but nevertheless topping the box office, debuting to $28.5 million.[4]

Critical response[edit]

The Fall Guy received generally positive reviews after its SXSW premiere.[47][48][49] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 254 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "With action, comedy, romance, and a pair of marvelously matched stars, The Fall Guy might be the rare mainstream movie with something to entertain everyone."[50] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[51] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 90% overall positive score.[4]

Writing for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico said that The Fall Guy "feels like a pushback against all the CGI-heavy, character-less, humorless blockbusters that have been coming off the content production line" and provides audiences "with what too often feels like a secondary concern in big movies lately: fun."[52] IGN called the film a "self-reflexive love letter to Hollywood stunt work", and praised Gosling and Blunt's performances and chemistry.[53]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Reported production costs for The Fall Guy ranged from as low as $125 million[2][3] to as high as $150 million,[4][5] with a majority of trade publications listing the budget at $130 million.[6][7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Fall Guy (12A)". BBFC. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "The Fall Guy – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Tom Brueggemann (May 2, 2024). "'The Fall Guy' Will Open Over $50 Million, Unless It Grosses Less Than $30 Million". IndieWire. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 5, 2024). "'The Fall Guy' Tripping To $28M Opening – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 5, 2024. Most of all, for an original event film at $130M-$150M+...
  5. ^ Alejandra Gularte (May 4, 2024). "The Fall Guy Might Be Stunted on Opening Weekend". Vulture. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Lang, Brent (April 30, 2024). "Box Office Preview: 'The Fall Guy' Eyes $30 Million-Plus Debut as Summer Movie Season Revs Up". Variety. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c McClintock, Pamela (May 1, 2024). "The Fall Guy to Kick Off Summer Box Office After a Brutal Late Spring, Eyes $30M-$35M Opening". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "The Fall Guy (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Gardner, Chris (April 26, 2023). "Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt and David Leitch Tease 'Fall Guy' at CinemaCon With Stunt Spectacle". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Breznican, Anthony (November 1, 2023). "Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt Risk It All in The Fall Guy — An Exclusive First Look". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Kit, Borys (November 4, 2022). "Winston Duke Joins Ryan Gosling in Universal's 'The Fall Guy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Kit, Borys (November 11, 2022). "Hannah Waddingham Joins Ryan Gosling in 'The Fall Guy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (November 21, 2022). "Teresa Palmer Joins Ryan Gosling In Universal's The Fall Guy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Kit, Borys (October 31, 2022). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Breakout Stephanie Hsu Joins Ryan Gosling in Universal's The Fall Guy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Thapa, Shaurya; MacArthur, Greg (April 30, 2024). "The Fall Guy Cast & Character Guide". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
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  18. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (July 1, 2010). "Hollywood falls for 'The Fall Guy': Lee Majors series is latest reboot candidate". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  19. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (October 31, 2011). "Martin Campbell Eyeing 'The Fall Guy'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  20. ^ Kit, Borys; Siegel, Tatiana (September 5, 2013). "Toronto: Dwayne Johnson, McG to Tackle 'The Fall Guy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  21. ^ White, James (September 23, 2020). "Ryan Gosling Playing A Stuntman In New David Leitch Film". Empire. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  22. ^ Moran, Jonathon (September 22, 2022). "Ryan Gosling arrives in Sydney to film The Fall Guy with Emily Blunt". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
  23. ^ Frater, Patrick (May 17, 2022). "Ryan Gosling Circling 'The Fall Guy' Film Adaptation". Variety. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "Action film The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling to inject $244m into the Australian economy". Business News Australia. May 17, 2022. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 12, 2022). "Emily Blunt Joins Ryan Gosling In Universal's 'The Fall Guy' Movie; Studio Sets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 28, 2022). "Aaron Taylor-Johnson Joins Ryan Gosling In The Fall Guy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  27. ^ "Ryan Gosling and 'The Fall Guy' Charm SXSW With Action Comedy Conceived as a 'Love Letter to Crews'". Variety. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Ryan Gosling had to rescue Emily Blunt from a 'monsoon' while filming The Fall Guy". Entertainment Weekly. May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c "Emily Blunt says her Fall Guy character is loosely based on Barbie director Greta Gerwig". Total Film. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  30. ^ "Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt & David Leitch Break Down 'The Fall Guy' Stunt Scene". Variety. May 3, 2024. Event occurs at 6:30. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ "The Fall Guy". ProductionList.com. September 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  32. ^ Cartwright, Lexie (October 4, 2022). "Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Jason Momoa spotted out in Sydney". News.com.au.
  33. ^ "Sydney Harbour Bridge closed for filming". Sky News Australia. January 22, 2023. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  34. ^ Muroi, Millie (January 21, 2023). "Harbour Bridge closes as Ryan Gosling shoots new film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  35. ^ "Ryan Gosling and 'The Fall Guy' Director David Leitch Premiere Their "Love Letter" to Stunts at SXSW". The Hollywood Reporter. March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  36. ^ "'The Fall Guy' breaks Guinness World Record for stunt previously held by James Bond movie". Entertainment Weekly. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  37. ^ "Most cannon rolls in a car". Guinness World Records. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  38. ^ "Dominic Lewis Scoring David Leitch's 'The Fall Guy'". Film Music Reporter. September 19, 2023. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  39. ^ "How 'The Fall Guy' Landed Taylor Swift and Kiss for its Soundtrack — and the Alanis Morissette Karaoke Moment That Didn't Make the Final Cut". Variety. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  40. ^ "Here's every song on 'The Fall Guy' soundtrack". NME. May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  41. ^ Blair, Iain (April 25, 2024). "The Fall Guy: Director and Producer Talk VFX, Edit and Color Grade".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 10, 2024). "Ryan Gosling's 'Fall Guy,' '3 Body Problem' Headed to SXSW". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  43. ^ Ward, Sarah (March 21, 2024). "Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt's Stuntman Action-Comedy 'The Fall Guy' Just Dropped Its Latest Trailer". Concrete Playground. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  44. ^ Zee, Michaela (November 14, 2023). "'The Fall Guy' Release Date Moved to May, Stakes Out 'Deadpool 3' Slot". Variety. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  45. ^ Horton, Adrian (March 13, 2024). "The Fall Guy review – Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt dazzle in delightful action comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  46. ^ Booth, Kaitlyn (February 6, 2024). "Universal Set To Screen The Fall Guy At CinemaCon". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  47. ^ "Ryan Gosling's 'The Fall Guy' Includes a Dog Inspired by Eva Mendes' Former Pet". The Hollywood Reporter. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  48. ^ "Ryan Gosling's new action movie gets compared to Tropic Thunder and Lethal Weapon in glowing first reactions". Total Film. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  49. ^ "'The Fall Guy' Somersaults into the Guinness Book of World Records in New Sneak Peek". Collider. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  50. ^ "The Fall Guy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 5, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  51. ^ "The Fall Guy". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  52. ^ Tallerico, Brian. "The Fall Guy movie review & film summary (2024) | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com/. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  53. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (March 13, 2024). "The Fall Guy Review". IGN. Retrieved May 3, 2024.

External links[edit]

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