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.
鈥淓xtraction,鈥� 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 鈥淐aptain America鈥� and Hugh Jackman on 鈥淲olverine,鈥� and co-ordinated stunts on blockbusters like 鈥淎vengers: Endgame鈥� and 鈥淗unger Games: Mockingjay.鈥�
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 (鈥淛ohn Wick鈥�) and David Leitch (鈥淎tomic Blonde鈥�).
A brief history of notable stuntmen turned directors:
Hal Needham: A trailblazer for stuntmen-filmmakers, Needham performed stunts on films including 鈥淭he French Connection鈥� and 鈥淗ow the West Was Won鈥� before he penned the script to 鈥淪mokey and the Bandit.鈥� He convinced Burt Reynolds, for whom he had doubled, to let him direct. They remained a regular team, with Needham directing Reynolds in 鈥淗ooper,鈥� 鈥淭he Cannonball Run鈥� and 鈥淪troker Ace.鈥� Needham has been quoted as saying: 鈥淪crew the dialogue, let's wreck some cars.鈥�
Ric Roman Waugh: The son of stuntman Fred Waugh, one of the founding members of Stunts Unlimited, Waugh performed stunt work in 鈥淭he Last of the Mohicans,鈥� 鈥淭he Crow鈥� and 鈥淟ethal Weapon 2.鈥� He transitioned to directing in 2001's 鈥淚n the Shadows,鈥� and followed that up with 鈥淪nitch,鈥� with Dwayne Johnson, and last year's 鈥淎ngel Has Fallen.鈥�
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 鈥淔ight Club鈥� and doubled for Keanu Reeves in 鈥淭he Matrix.鈥� Stahelski choreographed fights in 鈥�300鈥� and co-ordinated stunts in 鈥淭he Expendables.鈥� They stepped into filmmaking with the slickly stylized and hyper-violent 鈥淛ohn Wick鈥� franchise (Stahelski directed, Leitch produced). Leitch, himself, helmed 鈥淎tomic Blonde,鈥� with Charlize Theron, and 鈥淒eadpool 2.鈥�
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 鈥淭he Thin Red Line,鈥� 鈥淪uperman Returns鈥� and 鈥淶ero Dark Thirty.鈥� But Edgerton also continually made short films, some with his brother, and eventually made his feature directing debut with the 2008 neo-noir 鈥淭he Square.鈥� In 2018, he directed the comedy 鈥淕ringo,鈥� with David Oyelowo and Theron.
