Ryan Gosling is temporarily calling Australia home while he films The Fall Guy.
This feature-length adaptation of Glen A. Larson’s TV series starring Lee Majors as the stuntman, Colt Seavers, who moonlights as a bounty hunter is currently being directed by David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train). And already, its leading man has been spotted shooting scenes on our sunburnt shores. Although you’d be forgiven for walking past him without a second glance.
Perched on the rooftop of a multi-storey car park located in Sydney’s CBD (Goulburn St to be exact), Gosling was recently captured sporting a bushy beard with a blonde wig, a baseball cap, and in a “valet parking attendant” costume. Certainly schlubbier than what we’re used to seeing. At least not since Lars & The Real Girl.
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According to Federal arts minister Paul Fletcher, the production – which has earmarked both Sydney and rural NSW for principal photography – is expected to:
- Inject approximately $244 million into the Australian economy
- Employ over 1,000 cast and crew
- As well as make use of more than 3,000 extras
In exchange for supporting local, the federal government’s location incentive scheme has granted Hollywood’s latest attache $30 million, while the state government’s Made In NSW fund will provide an additional $14.5 million.
The Fall Guy hits theatres on March 1st of 2024 under the Universal banner after the studio won a fierce bidding war for the project last year. But at this stage, further details are still few and far between.
There have been zero confirmations about the other cast members joining Ryan Gosling here in Australia aside from Emily Blunt. As for behind-the-scenes talent, apart from director David Leitch, all we know for certain is that the screenplay has been penned by Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw).
“After a successful partnership on the studio’s production of Ticket to Paradise in Queensland,” said Jeff LaPlante, Universal Pictures President of Physical Production; in reference to the romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney filmed in the Whitsundays, Brisbane, and Gold Coast late last year.
“Universal is thrilled to return to Australia and base in New South Wales for the highly-anticipated film: The Fall Guy. The filmmakers and the Universal team are looking forward to working alongside the talented local crews to make this project a reality.”
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While Australia is no longer one of the safest places to make a movie anymore vis-a-vis COVID-19, the country is still attracting Hollywood attention beyond Universal Pictures. And it’s all thanks to an enticing combination of government incentives and the US dollar’s increasing value/Aussie dollar’s slipping value. Hence why the likes of Marvel Studios had apparently been considering moving its entire operation Down Under for the next five years.
Earlier in the pandemic, Australia played host to productions such as Taika Waitit’s Thor: Love & Thunder (Sydney), Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings (Sydney), Baz Luhrman’s Elvis (Gold Coast), George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing (Sydney), HBO’s Nine Perfect Strangers (Northern Rivers), as well as NBC’s Young Rock (Brisbane).
Now, it’s The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, George Miller’s long-awaited Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa – featuring our very own Chris Hemsworth alongside Anya Taylor-Joy – plus an unnamed project to be directed by Michael Bay in the wake of Ambulance starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Hollywood 2.0 is in full swing.
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