To get David Leitch, the film’s director, on board, more convincing was required. In the new action film, Bullet Train, Brad Pitt plays an assassin named Ladybug who, after a botched assignment on a bullet train headed for Tokyo, finds herself at odds with a motley crew of colourful and eccentric killers. “The movie nearly didn’t happen for him. “What should I do to accomplish big things?” ‘I can’t get off this train! “Kelly McCormick, the film’s producer, reminisces about the day she and Leitch met in London for an interview. Stuntman-turned-director Leitch, who cut his teeth co-directing John Wick before moving on to franchise blockbusters like Deadpool 2 and Hobbs & Shaw, was sceptical that the small interiors and exteriors of a train would allow for interesting action sequences.
Kelly “truly convinced me that the limits were going to be the secret sauce of the movie,” says director David Leitch. “Yes, she is correct. Last but not least, as a choreographer, it’s nice to challenge yourself, and it was fun to come up with some creative ways to make the bouts exciting despite the cramped quarters. We got creative and made it so that you battle in various parts of the car, like the “silent car,” “mascot car,” and “other parts of the car.” That opens the door to a plethora of extras you typically wouldn’t have access to.”
Leitch & his cast of hitmen – Pitt is joined by The Kissing Booth’s Joey King, Warrior’s Andrew Koji, & rapper Bad Bunny – took what had been envisioned as a dark, vicious tale of revenge and transformed it into a drama that blends laughs and larger-than-life personalities. “We all caught it as soon as we stepped foot on set. It was a fantastic time, “Leitch had to say about it. “Especially with Lemon and Tangerine, we were delving into their backgrounds and developing them more; they became more outspoken and substantial as we did so.
After realising its brilliance, we adopted it. Aaron was feeling a bit uneasy by day three, so I took him behind the monitor to give him some peace of mind. He worried that he was trying to tackle too much. You watch this and tell me it’s not hilarious, I say to myself. When he laughed at his own jokes, we all realised the mood was perfect, and we joined in.” Star Brad Pitt had a key role in that regard, even though some of his fashion choices (he wears a bucket hat and heavy spectacles from the very beginning of Bullet Train) weren’t universally well received.
According to Leitch, “Brad came in firing for large and broad.” “He has always had a soft spot for Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton. The two followed his lead.” After that, McCormick says “Each of his characters benefits from his amazing touch. As though he had literally stepped into a train, that is how he felt. He thought of Ladybug as a weakling and an outsider. He took the vehicle home, and the studio was not pleased to see him do so while wearing a bucket hat and eyewear. Why hide such a stunning face?
However, the character of Lemon, played by Tyree Henry, benefited the most from the diversion into comical terrain. During the writing process, Taylor-Tangerine Johnson took “second fiddle” to the Thomas the Tank Engine fanatic (or as Leitch joked, “He didn’t go full method on Thomas”). Henry’s suggestion made a huge difference in the final result, putting the two business professionals on much more level ground.
As a result of working together, Leitch received “the finest feedback he’s ever had from an actor.” The director elaborates, “We did have to perform some balance in the beginning.” “Initially, Tangerine played a more significant role in the narrative… Early on, Brian expressed interest in playing Tangerine in our discussions. Regarding Tangerine’s fixation on Thomas, director David Leitch was attracted to the character’s twisted moral compass and Tyree Henry’s portrayal, which, although being acted for laughs, is yet an integral aspect of Thomas’s mind.
“Characters with secret messages fascinate me. Personally, I find it amusing and intriguing “It’s what Leitch says, he adds. “Even if this was meant to be sarcastic, having such a characteristic in a film like this might rapidly become problematic. Brian introduced it and adopted it in a serious and mature manner.” “There are certain interpretations of it that see him as a naive or infantile character, but he is none of those things. He is a formidable mature assassin. Scary and intimidating, he turns that mindset into his own special ability. He was prepared for its use.”
The art of creating one’s own good fortune
Good and bad luck play significant roles in Bullet Train. Given how much of the filmmaking process involves the inevitable clash of rigorous preparation and improvisation on the fly, it’s an appropriate throughline as well. Momomon, the movie’s endearing Japanese mascot (and now a minor TikTok celebrity), was a happy accident brought about by Leitch’s signature flirtation with fate. “The process of making a movie is very much like that of constructing a fast train. You’re being swept away by forces beyond your control “The statement is attributed to Leitch. “You need to seize the good things and see the possibility in the challenges.
Just what better misfortune has your poor luck protected you from, exactly? An amazing stroke of luck occurred when a costume designer was showing us a picture of a conductor forcing this mascot into the train.” It’s a huge object, McCormick says. “They hate to be late, so he’s trying to force it down their throats. Our production designer, David Scheunemann, had previously shown us themed automobiles in Japan, including vehicles decorated with Pokemon and Hello Kitty. It was already in the works as a mascot for some signage, but when we saw the photo of the big plushie he was making, we knew we had to have it as our logo.” After then, “Momomon simply kept spinning into more and more concepts,” as Leitch puts it. “We began making changes to the script [so it could be] used regularly. We were perusing a costume when something else caught our eye.”
With mascots, assassins, and Brad Pitt all making their way across the country, the plot reads like an overcrowded and crowded morning commute. The narrative structure relieving this tension spends time with each new assassin aboard the bullet train, explaining their backstory in flashbacks. When they do finally encounter it, the stakes will be higher because of this. In a film business where sequels are the norm, this one is a breath of new air: by the time the killers join Brad Pitt’s orbit, they’ve all already had their day in the spotlight. In his own words, Leitch explains, “I was extremely pleased by the script since that is unorthodox.” “What was exciting and subversive about [it] is you went away on these insane excursions and I wanted to luxuriate in them.”
He alludes to a sequence with Bad Bunny’s hair-trigger assassin Wolf as proof of concept for the movie’s narrative style. He replies, “It’s there in the Wolf scene.” “That kind of tale can be told in only five minutes, and it makes for exciting, interactive watching for the audience. No matter how many times you return, there will always be something new to learn. It’s not navel-gazing… Not only does it include important information, but it’s also a lovely narrative of a person to whom you’ll probably find yourself relating. When he’s in trouble, you’ll hopefully care.” That tight framework (“Everyone had a beginning, middle, and conclusion to their chapters and then they intersect from that point forward,” McCormick recalls of the first cut) and the experimental energy that coursed through the veins of the production were fused through a late-day decision.
The first manuscript, as McCormick shows, was structured into chapters. “We filmed it that way, and we cut it that way the first time, but eventually, our editor Elisabet Ronaldsdóttir and David came to the realisation that the characters and the universe are more intricately linked than they initially appear. Let’s see how it feels once we divide it up. Rhythmically, it was hard to deny.” Bullet Train, based on a 2010 novel by Kotaro Isaka, propelled filmmaker David Leitch into unexplored territory with Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy, an adaptation of the 1980s TV series starring Lee Majors as a stuntman. “Bullet Train’s independence from established brands is one of its many strengths.
We had exclusive use of the Bullet Train “So, according to Leitch. According to McCormick, “The term “legacy IP” refers to intellectual property that may be traced back to a certain source but not necessarily to the original creator. To put it another way, you may use it as a jumping-off point for your own mythology while still maintaining the foundation of an existing tale. All of us here couldn’t be more thrilled. There is going to be more excitement in that one, so make sure you don’t miss it!” It could be difficult to achieve that goal, given how far off the tracks Bullet Train often goes. Even if this particular stage of Leitch’s rapidly expanding career is drawing to a close, he is set to continue his ascent to the top ranks of Hollywood’s action filmmakers. Starting on August 3 in the UK and August 5 in the US, you can only see Bullet Train in theatres.