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EXCLUSIVE: Chris Hemsworth (Thor & Extraction movies) and Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Argylle) are “helping out” their stunt-world buddies in the first of an initial four-part movie series called Stuntnuts – yes, it’s a palindrome- which are being made under Matthew Vaughn’s Marv Films banner.
You may have spotted the Stuntnuts title being introduced in the trailer- directed by Vaughn- that Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg recently posted on his official Instagram page to promote Meta’s RayBan Smart Glasses.
It features Zuckerberg, initially seen with an arm ablaze, launching into a series of stunt set pieces with John Cena and Benson Boone choreographed to the tune of Junior Senior’s high energy pop classic Move Your Feet (And Feel United) .
Teaser ends with a befuddled Zuckerberg looking at his torched arm, exclaiming: “Hey, Meta, am I on fire?” You can watch it here:
A longer version was being introduced at a Meta conference today.
The Meta trailer gives a taste of the fun-fueled Stuntnuts movies that are in various stages of production.
I went on a secret set visit in the summer to Arborfield Studios, a former British Army garrison in Berkshire, to observe filming on what was then known as The Stuntman. It was all very hush-hush but now that the Zuckerberg trailer is out there, it’s time to reveal the goodies.
Hemsworth and Rockwell are guest stars in the first movie in the series which is now called Stuntnuts: The Movie. They play themselves and are joined by a core ensemble of stunt artists who will star in all four pictures which are being directed by ace stunt coordinator Damien Walters.
Each regular Stuntnuts artist and creative has been anointed a signature nom de plume.
For instance, director Walters has been named Hardnut while Vaughn has been labeled The Nutcracker, a most appropriate appellation.
Members of the main Stuntnuts troupe are:
Bobby Holland Hanson, Hemsworth’s regular stunt double is Nutjob.
Greg Townley, expert gymnast and stunt double for Tom Holland on two Spider-man movies, is Hardnut.
Paul Lowe, a four-foot 8-inch stalwart of the Harry Potter movies and Game of Thrones, is Peanut and Haruka Oshima, the team’s sole woman, who has practiced her craft in several movies including No Time To Die, The Old Guard and The Matrix Resurrections, is Hazelnut.
The troupe all appear in the two movies that have been shot so far: Stuntnuts:The Movie and Stuntnuts Does School Fight.
A third feature, Stuntnuts Does Shiver, described as Jaws meets Groundhog Day, was being announced by Vaughn today.
It’s set to star pro wrestler superstar turned action star John Cena- he was also a Ken in Barbie– who will be known as Chestnut; and pop singer-songwriter, TikTok sensation and fanatical stunt performer Benson Boone is Go Nuts.
The set-up for Stuntnuts: The Movie is about a group of athletes who set out to raise funds so that the gym where they all trained can stay open.
They use their athletic and gymnastic skills to hire themselves out as stuntmen and, says Vaughn, “the whole fun of the film is that the stunt artists will be joined by various big name stars and they are the supporting artists supporting the stunt artists who are the stars of the film.”
Such is the case for Hemsworth and Rockwell who agreed to work on Stuntnuts: The Movie “to help us out,” says Walters.
“I talked to Chris about the idea and then Matthew helped cement it. Sam was interested as well. We’ve all worked together and, you know how ideas get discussed between takes on a set and this was one of them,” adds Walters.
Vaughn laughs and says the film series started small and just grew. “It was the germination of an idea,that sort of grew out of control.”
But he “loved” it because it reminded him of the early days when he and Guy Ritchie made Lock,Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Those movies, says Vaughn represented “excitement, teamwork and fun.”
Vaughn adds:” We didn’t know really what we were doing, but we were determined, and we feel just the same now.”
Walters says the films are about “us trying to give a true representation of the stunt world and the movie world.”
There’s also serious intent underpinning the movies, says Walters. “People can get hurt,” he tells us.
During filming on Stuntnuts: The Movie last November, stunt artist Greg Townley was performing a stunt at the top of a water tower on the backlot at Aborfield Studios when he fell “the wrong way” as he landed on mammoth foam and rubber mattresses, says Walters.
“The fall was on purpose as part of a stunt, but Greg landed slightly wrong and broke his back in three places, “Walters explains.
Townley was hospitalized for several weeks and underwent two procedures on his back. He spent six months recuperating.
Production was delayed for six months. When I visited set, Townley was sitting in the makeup trailer preparing to shoot a Napoleonic scene for Stuntnuts: The Movie. “I won’t be diving from water towers for a while. That was a 110-foot drop. It was one of those freak accidents. Now my story has been written into the script and it doesn’t get any more real than this.” says Townley. ”It’s like a peek behind the curtain into our industry,” he adds.
Prior to Townley’s accident, Walters had written a scene about a stunt artist dealing with an injury.
When Townley fell and was badly hurt, he wrote the real life incident, with Townley’s permission, into the film. The movie will feature an eight-minute segment featuring the accident, operations, recovery and return to the set.
“It’s weird and fascinating to watch,” says Vaughn. “Greg’s a heck of a brave guy.”
Stuntnuts Does School Fight has been completed. Stuntnuts: The Movie is expected to complete post-production at the end of October.
Vaughn says that details about the films have been closely held, until now. He plans to show two of the films to distributors soon.
Vaughn says that if the new Stuntnuts films take off at the box-office then he and Walters will extend the series “the way they did all those Carry On films back in the day.”
