The Fall Guy recently premiered at South by Southwest to glowing reviews. Taking inspiration from the ’80s TV series starring Lee Majors, the film tells the story of a stuntman who turns bounty hunter when the lead actor in his latest project goes AWOL during a big-budget shoot.
Ryan Gosling plays the stunt performer, Colt Seavers, and he’s on the lookout for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the world’s biggest action star for whom he’s doubling on the set of a sci-fi western blockbuster. The film-within-the-film is being directed by Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), who has romantic history with Colt.
Blunt and Gosling have the kind of sparky banter and electric chemistry that so many on-screen pairings aim for, but few actually manage to deliver. But that’s just one aspect of The Fall Guy to get excited about – it’s also a love letter to stunts, and a rip-roaring meta-comedy about moviemaking. The cast also features Stephanie Hsu as an assistant, Winston Duke as a stunt coordinator and Hannah Waddingham as a pushy producer.
The Fall Guy is on the cover of the upcoming issue of Total Film magazine (on sale Thursday, March 28), and inside there’s an in-depth making-of feature including new interviews with Gosling, Blunt and director-producer duo David Leitch and Kelly McCormick. Here (and above) you can take an exclusive look at some new images from the upcoming issue, featuring Gosling, Blunt, Hsu and Taylor-Johnson, as well as Leitch and stunt double Justin Eaton:
David Leitch knows this world inside out, having made a name for himself as a stunt double for huge stars like Brad Pitt. He later became a stunt coordinator, director and co-founder of action design and production company 87North Productions. The original TV series of The Fall Guy was a key influence in his initial decision to explore a career in stunts.
Inside the new issue, Leitch talks about updating the property for the present day, and taking advantage of the opportunity to stage some huge-scale practical stunts of the kind we see all too rarely these days. Plus, Gosling and Blunt talk Barbenheimer, creating chemistry, and the importance of stunt performers.
The Fall Guy opens in UK cinemas on May 2. For much more on the film, don’t miss the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, March 28. Check out the covers below:
Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive: you’ll get all this movie goodness throughout the year before it’s in shops, as well as having exclusive covers and saving money on the cover price. With our latest offer, you can save up to 35% and you’ll get a mystery gift – and to sweeten the deal, subscribers now get a brand new bonus too, with access to more than 10 years’ worth of digital back issues as part of the subscription. That’s well over 100 issues you can explore, including our most recent issues. What’s not to like?
