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July / August 2022

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hen it was announced that pro- ducer/director David Leitch would direct Brad Pitt in the new action-com- edy summer blockbuster Bullet Train, it seemed like the perfect fit. After all, before becoming a director known for his hyper-kinetic, immersive, stunt-driven style in such hits as the irreverent, raunchy Deadpool 2; the punk-noir, take-no-pris- oners Atomic Blonde; and the bantering buddy comedy Hobbs & Shaw, Leitch spent over a decade in the stunt business and doubled for Brad Pitt on such films as Fight Club and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. In Bullet Train, Pitt headlines an ensem- ble cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Brian Tyree Henry and Bad Bunny in a wild ride of a story about eclectic, diverse assassins, all with connect- ed-yet-conflicting objectives, and set against the backdrop of a non-stop ride through modern-day Japan. Behind the scenes, Leitch assembled a top-notch creative team led by his producer partner and wife Kelly McCormick, his go- to cinematographer Jonathan Sela, usual production designer David Scheunemann, regular editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir and composer Dominic Lewis. Here, in an exclusive interview with Post, Leitch talks about making the film, the challenges involved and his love of post. Did this feature feel like a natural fit for your skill set? "Yes, it did, although it was original- ly conceived as a far more hard-core action film, and I think the title's a bit misleading, along with the expectations people seem to have for me, which I don't really get. My recent films all have a lot of comedic overtones, and I set out to make a fun action-thriller that has a dark comedic edge, something bold and original, and a lot of fun. When Kelly and I read the novel it's based on, we thought all the characters were amazing, but it's super-dark and genre-forward, and I felt I could take it to another level and make it more fun. When we began, it was in the heart of the pandemic and we all felt the need to have some fun." What did Brad bring to the party? And is it true he did all his own stunts? (Laughs) "Brad brought his A game, like he always does. He really connected with the script and got very excited about his character, who is a bit of an existential crisis, and he brought more ideas to it, which we added along the way. Like all great actors, he takes care of his charac- ter, not only the emotional and intellectual side, but also the physical side. He comes up with very creative ideas about how the character looks and acts and moves, and adds stuff, and makes choices that you wouldn't expect, but which lead to compelling moments in the film. And that includes the action sequences and stunts. I don't think he'd even take on a project where he couldn't do a majority of the action. Having worked with him on five films as his stunt double, I was not ever afraid that he wouldn't do most of his own stunts on this, and he did." How early on did you start integrating post and all the VFX? "There were really two stages to it. One was really early on, as we had to do a lot of prep in VFX for all the LED screens we used outside the windows of the train to create our version of traveling through Japan. So we did a lot of plate work and also created full digital environments, and all of that material had to be ready to be projected on the LED screens outside by the time we began shooting. So we did very little blue screen outside the train windows. Most of that is all LED screens and the sort of virtual production that everyone's so excited about now." In terms of post, that must have given you a lot of flexibility? "You're right. It gave me incredible flexibility in editorial because I could choose any take I wanted, and I could change takes without having to back to the vendor and go, 'OK, I've changed these four shots, so you've got to redo the comps outside.' It's all baked into the shot this way and you're getting this great interactive light from the screens. That was so helpful." What were the main technical challenges in pulling it all together, considering all the VFX companies seem to be so busy these days. Did you run into any problems just in terms of getting all the VFX work done? "It's true, especially now with all the streaming and increased demand for content. Every vendor is in high demand and there's this big boom in the VFX market, and it's a real challenge meeting all the deadlines and keeping the quality at the high level you want. So, my advice to anyone thinking about going into the movie business today is, go into VFX. "We shot it all in LA on stages at the Sony lot during the height of the pandemic, and we had all the crazy protocols in place and were testing every day. And there was a real virtual production style to what we did. We had BULLET TRAIN 'S DAVID LEITCH FAMILIAR COLLABORATORS HELPED THIS DIRECTOR CREATE A SLIGHTLY- HEIGHTENED REALITY W DIRECTOR'S CHAIR www.postmagazine.com 14 POST JULY/AUG 2022 BY IAIN BLAIR Leitch (right) on the Sony set with Brian Tyree Henry.

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