In a heart-stopping display of precision and skill, Logan Holladay, stunt driver for Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling’s character in Universal Pictures’ new 87North film, The Fall Guy, shattered the Guinness World Record title for most cannon rolls in a car, achieving an astonishing eight and a half rolls during the film’s 2022 production on the beaches of Sydney, Australia. This groundbreaking feat in blockbuster director David Leitch’s latest film surpassed the previous record held by stuntman Adam Kirley, who achieved seven cannon rolls during the filming of 2006’s Casino Royale.
The cannon roll, a classic stunt dating back to the early days of cinema, involves fitting a cannon-like apparatus beneath a car that shoots toward the ground. As the vehicle reaches a designated speed, the mechanism triggers and propels the car into a series of rolls. Holladay executed the stunt behind the wheel of a modified Jeep Grand Cherokee fitted with an external fibreglass body.
The Fall Guy, inspired by the 1980s hit TV series of the same name, is directed by filmmaker and former stunt performer Leitch, whose company, 87North Productions, is synonymous with adrenaline-fueled action in films such as Bullet Train, Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde. The film, which stars Gosling as a stuntman and Emily Blunt as a film director, pays homage to the unsung heroes of the stunt community. Thus, the production prioritized practical stunts.
“With The Fall Guy, I’m honouring my roots as a stunt performer,” Leitch says. “We wanted to deliver action that was true to the spirit of the stunt community by incorporating techniques that have become somewhat of a lost art. The cannon roll is a classic stunt and was a must-have for this film. And since we were making a movie that honours the work of stunt performers, we didn’t just set out to achieve the cannon roll; we set out to break records and make a statement. Logan executed it flawlessly and showcased why he’s a standout in the stunt community.”
Holladay, whose impressive list of credits includes Shazam and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, demonstrated his unparalleled skills on the set of The Fall Guy in various jaw-dropping vehicular stunts, including an astonishing 200-plus-foot ramp jump. Holladay’s performance underscored his remarkable talent and deep-seated dedication to his craft, rooted in a family legacy of stunt performers. “Growing up, my dad was a stuntman, so the influence of film sets and the world of stunts was always there,” Holladay says. “When I learned about The Fall Guy going into production, I knew I had to be part of it. As for the cannon rolls, after two practice runs and one real take, we had one car and one shot left. And after I hit the eight-and-a-half rolls, I had a pretty good feeling that I had broken the record because it felt like the spinning was never going to stop. It was a surreal moment and I’m incredibly proud of what the team achieved.”
The record-breaking stunt demanded thorough planning and collaboration across multiple departments within the film’s production, with special attention given to the choice of landscape. The stunt was executed on a flat beach, which required rigorous planning and meticulous adjustments given the changing tides and specific terrain requirements. The team conducted extensive testing to fine-tune every aspect of the stunt, experimenting with different pressure settings for the cannon mechanism, strategically placing it underneath the vehicle and analyzing the car’s speed and ground density.
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Producer and star Ryan Gosling and David Leitch presented Holladay with the Guinness World Record certificate celebrating his achievement on Wednesday, March 13, at a special screening of The Fall Guy in Los Angeles. Before the presentation, attendees were treated to a behind-the-scenes piece showcasing the world record-breaking stunt. Following this, Fandango’s Naz Perez moderated a Q&A session with director David Leitch, producer Kelly McCormick, producer Guymon Casady, stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara, and stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu and Winston Duke. The event was streamed to theaters in New York, Atlanta and Miami.
“There’s a gentleman who buckles me into a car — that’s Logan Holladay — for a stunt he’s about to do,” Gosling told the audience on Wednesday. “Then he goes on to do eight-and-a-half cannon rolls, which is a world record. And then he pulls me out of the car and pats me on the back for the stunt that he just did.”
Gosling added. “In any other movie, you wouldn’t know that. But in this movie, you do. The lack of recognition [of] the contribution that they make to cinema, to some of the best moments in this film and the best moments in films in general that we love so much, you know, that ends here!”
The Fall Guy arrives in theaters on May 3, 2024.
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