Some of today's top action directors were first doubles for Brad Pitt, Neo and Wolverine.
Increasingly, filmmakers are coming from the ranks of stuntmen and stunt co-ordinators, whose years of accomplishing complicated shots, managing the risks of cast and crew and working intimately with stars have given them a foundation for the task of directing - especially in action movies.
âExtraction,â the new Netflix film starring Chris Hemsworth, is the directorial debut of Sam Hargrave. Before Hargrave got behind the camera, he doubled for Chris Evans on âCaptain Americaâ and Hugh Jackman on âWolverine,â and co-ordinated stunts on blockbusters like âAvengers: Endgameâ and âHunger Games: Mockingjay.â
Hargrave is the latest in a lineage of stuntmen who have gone from stepping in for actors to directing them. It's a fairly recent career pathway thanks largely to the success of Chad Stahelski (âJohn Wickâ) and David Leitch (âAtomic Blondeâ).
A brief history of notable stuntmen turned directors:
Hal Needham: A trailblazer for stuntmen-filmmakers, Needham performed stunts on films including âThe French Connectionâ and âHow the West Was Wonâ before he penned the script to âSmokey and the Bandit.â He convinced Burt Reynolds, for whom he had doubled, to let him direct. They remained a regular team, with Needham directing Reynolds in âHooper,â âThe Cannonball Runâ and âStroker Ace.â Needham has been quoted as saying: âScrew the dialogue, let's wreck some cars.â
Ric Roman Waugh: The son of stuntman Fred Waugh, one of the founding members of Stunts Unlimited, Waugh performed stunt work in âThe Last of the Mohicans,â âThe Crowâ and âLethal Weapon 2.â He transitioned to directing in 2001's âIn the Shadows,â and followed that up with âSnitch,â with Dwayne Johnson, and last year's âAngel Has Fallen.â
Chad Stahelski and David Leitch: A chiseled duo with martial arts skills and stunt expertise, Stahelski and and Leitch have done more than anyone else to raise the profile of stunt co-ordinators. They've been leaders in the field since founding the action design company 87Eleven in 1997. Leitch was Pitt's stunt double in âFight Clubâ and doubled for Keanu Reeves in âThe Matrix.â Stahelski choreographed fights in â300â and co-ordinated stunts in âThe Expendables.â They stepped into filmmaking with the slickly stylized and hyper-violent âJohn Wickâ franchise (Stahelski directed, Leitch produced). Leitch, himself, helmed âAtomic Blonde,â with Charlize Theron, and âDeadpool 2.â
Nash Edgerton: The brother of actor Joel Edgerton, Nash has been a longtime stuntman, doubling for Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi, and doing stunt work in âThe Thin Red Line,â âSuperman Returnsâ and âZero Dark Thirty.â But Edgerton also continually made short films, some with his brother, and eventually made his feature directing debut with the 2008 neo-noir âThe Square.â In 2018, he directed the comedy âGringo,â with David Oyelowo and Theron.