John Wick Chapter 4 pushed the envelope on stunt performance with the many flinging of bodies every which way. Extraction 2 boldly showed a visceral prison yard riot fight sequence in a one-shot. Tom Cruise did his thing and collaborated with many more brave souls participating in his death-defying stunts in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. This year saw many accomplishments in the popular genre of action and it seems as though the public are giving the hard-working stunt people behind the scenes more and more deserved recognition.
Bullet Train‘s David Leitch and Kelly McCormick are big names in the stunt community, and they join the likes of Chad Stahelski, Sam Hargrave and countless others in elevating the action genre to new heights. According to Variety, Leitch and his producing partner spouse, Kelly McCormick, are working with Universal Pictures Content Group for a new series centered on Hollywood stunt performers to be titled Action. The duo is set to executive produce the series with producers Josh Oreck, producer on John Wick and Sherlock Homes, and Chelsea Allen, known for Prop Culture with director Bridger Nielson, whose credits include All Things Must Pass.
Leitch expresses his enthusiasm for the project, “My first loves are action films, and the backbone of this genre are the stunt performers who bring their kinetic magic to the screen. Kelly and I are excited to finally shine the spotlight on these unsung, unseen heroes of Hollywood and celebrate the stunt community with Action.”
The executive VP of Universal Pictures Content Group, Helen Parker, adds her own excitement, “There is absolutely no one better to work with when it comes to stunts and action movies, so we are thrilled that David and Kelly have been willing to secure such unprecedented access into the lives of their incredible teams who are unequivocally the best in the business. This documentary series gives a fascinating insight into the people behind the action; we get to meet some amazing characters and learn about what brought them to Hollywood and what they had to sacrifice in order to achieve success.”