The Fall Guy to receive first-ever stunt designer credit

The first-ever credit of stunt designer has been approved by the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild of America, and it’s only fitting that it will be used for David Leitch’s upcoming love letter to stunts and stunt performers — The Fall Guy.

Chris O’Hara will be the first to receive the stunt designer credit for his work on The Fall Guy, which “better encompasses the multifaceted nature of the profession [and] accurately reflect the work of stunt teams who are tasked with designing, creating and coordinating stunt sequences in movies.” The traditional title has been stunt coordinator, but the new title was championed by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick’s 87North production company.

“Stunt designers are the creative architects behind fight scenes, high falls, and more, and deserve to be recognized for the creative leadership of their contributions,” Leitch said. “Universal’s decision to allow Kelly and me to add ‘Stunt Designer’ to Chris’ credit on ‘The Fall Guy’ marks a groundbreaking move for a major studio. We hope this will pave the way for the stunts industry to get the recognition it deserves.“

McCormick added: “Generally, it’s the stunt department’s job to be invisible on screen, but during a production, it literally touches all other departments on set. David and I felt it was crucial to highlight the artistic and technical aspects of this craft. We proposed the addition of the word ‘designer’ to the role to properly define the job and reflect Chris’ creative contribution on ‘The Fall Guy’ production, which he wields on every production when he is hired at the current stunt industry title of ‘coordinator.’”

O’Hara said that the new title “is a long-overdue correction to what this production head position in stunts entails. This is a step toward setting a new standard for recognizing the creative contributions of stunt professionals across the industry.” Hopefully this new title proves to be a stepping stone to finally getting that stunt category at the Academy Awards.

Gosling stars in The Fall Guy 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. While the film’s ruthless producer, maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder 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.“

Our own Chris Bumbray recently reviewed The Fall Guy and had a lot of fun with the movie. “The Fall Guy really is a terrific summer action movie and a throwback to a different (better) time in genre movie-making,” Bumbray wrote. “More than anything, it’s a tribute to the stunt industry and a demand that it gets the recognition it deserves, with the point made over and over that CGI action is lame and can’t hold a candle to the old ways. I’m inclined to agree.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here. The Fall Guy will hit theaters on May 3rd.