Ryan Gosling hosts a round of carpool karaoke with his stuntmen for the forthcoming action comedy The Fall Guy.
Universal Studios has been going meta with its marketing for its forthcoming action comedy The Fall Guy. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are the marquee stars; Gosling plays a Hollywood stuntman trying to make a movie with his estranged ex-girlfriend (Blunt). But it’s the actual stuntmen standing in for Gosling during action sequences who get the spotlight in a new promotional video for the film.
As previously reported, The Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch, who also brought us the glorious John Wick (his uncredited directorial debut with Chad Stahelski). It’s a loose adaptation of the popular 1980s TV series of the same name starring Lee Majors. Per the official synopsis:
Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who, having left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by his ex, Jody Moreno, played by Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt—goes missing. While the film’s ruthless producer (Hannah Waddingham), maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) a secret from the studio and the media, Colt performs the film’s most outrageous stunts while trying (with limited success) to charm his way back into Jody’s good graces. But as the mystery around the missing star deepens, Colt will find himself ensnared in a sinister, criminal plot that will push him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.
In this incarnation, Gosling’s Colt Seavers isn’t a bounty hunter on the side; he’s just a stuntman—a bit past his prime—who stumbles into solving a mystery. Blunt costars as Jody Moreno, Colt’s ex-girlfriend and a former camera operator who finally gets the chance to direct her first film. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays movie star Tom Ryder, who goes missing mid-shoot. Stephanie Hsu plays Ryder’s personal assistant, and Winston Duke plays Colt’s stunt coordinator and BFF. Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham appears as Gail, the producer of Jody’s film. And OG Fall Guy Lee Majors (now in his 80s) is expected to have a cameo; perhaps he’ll perform the theme song, “Unknown Stuntman,” that he wrote and recorded for the original series.
Last week, the studio released three short promotional videos in which Gosling, Blunt, Leitch, and Waddingham try to come up with creative marketing ploys for the film. But today’s release, “Car Pool,” is the best of the lot, precisely because it pays clever homage to the actual stuntmen.
The video opens with Gosling getting a call from Leitch, instructing him to pick up his three stunt doubles in a flashy lime green Nissan GT-R. (Per Ars Automotive Editor Jonathan Gitlin, it’s the R35 generation, on sale since 2007.) The concept is meant to evoke a carpool karaoke vibe, only without the actual music (no, not even Journey).
Of course, Gosling can’t resist blasting Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” en route to the various pickup points. And, of course, the stuntmen—Logan Holladay, Ben Jenkin, and Troy Brown—can’t resist showcasing their stuntman skills. Halladay takes over driving duties, Jenkin stages getting hit by the car and rolling onto the hood, and Troy falls off a roof onto an inflatable stunt bag. They all have a grand time singing along to Journey, and Jenkin actually has a decent voice. If only they can make sure they get the song rights….
The Fall Guy hits theaters on May 3, 2024.
Listing image by Universal Pictures