Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt and David Leitch Tease ‘Fall Guy’ at CinemaCon With Stunt Spectacle

After Vin Diesel left the stage and introduced high octane Fast X footage, a voiceover asked CinemaCon attendees to stay patient for a special surprise while professionals prepared the stage.

The screen then promoted the EightySeven North Productions banner, as a team of stunt professionals stormed the stage to show off their impressive skills. It started with a motorcyclist dragging a man across the stage, followed by a gymnastics display, a mini car whizzing across the stage, and a slew of aerial flips and tricks. Minutes later, filmmaker David Leitch took the stage and detonated two performers who jumped from the Colosseum’s rafters to cards on stage.

The spectacle, towards the end of Universal’s studio presentation, served as a way for Leitch, a former stuntman, to introduce his upcoming film. The autumn man. He welcomed his stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt to the stage, and they both initially pretended to be hesitant. “Is it safe?” Blunt asked, with Gosling adding, “It was really noisy, and there was a small car and rough housing. It just seems dangerous.”

It was perfectly safe, save for some Teleprompter issues, and the trio then took a few minutes of comedic back-and-forth introducing their film. (They also gave shout-outs to some special stunt pros from The autumn manincluding Gosling’s stunt double Ben.)

“In most movies, the actors get all the credit, but the stunt performers do all the work, and that ends today,” said Gosling, who was back on the main stage at CinemaCon one day after waxing about bleaching his hair and shaving his hair. legs to find the right Ken-ergy to play Ken opposite Margot Robbie’s title character in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Leitch then said he was excited to make a movie that portrayed the lives of stunt professionals, the hard-working class of people who risk their lives for very little credit. “I was a former stunt performer, so it’s very dear to me,” he said.

Gosling stars opposite Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stephanie Hsu, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer and Winston Duke in the Universal movie inspired by the 1980s television series. Shot on location in Australia, the film marks a switch from the original 1980s show starring Lee Majors.

If THR previously reported, it does not focus on a stuntman with a sideline as a bounty hunter. Instead, Drew Pearce’s script focuses on a battered and past-his-prime stuntman (Gosling), who returns to a movie set with the star (Taylor-Johnson) for whom he long ago doubled and replaced him. However, the wrinkle is that the star has disappeared.

“It’s been a huge honor to follow in the footsteps of the iconic Lee Majors,” added Gosling, noting that his character is found at a point in his stunt journey when his girlfriend (Blunt) has broken up with him, and he has broken his back. “My character is going through a lot and directing a huge space opera,” Blunt explained the plot, adding that she is forced to team up with her ex to save her movie. “They’re exes and maybe futures if he plays his cards right.”

They then introduced several minutes of footage that played really well in the Colosseum. Producing are Kelly McCormick and Leitch through their 87North shingle. Gosling is also producing, as is Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady. Pearce will executive produce alongside Geoff Shaevitz, Matt Reilly, Glen Larson and Peter Cramer.

The autumn man will hit theaters March 1, 2024.

CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theater Owners, will be held April 24-27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.