‘Aquaman’ Using ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Stunt Team
As long as Ben Affleck is fucking around with the script and saying he’s doing/maybe not doing The Batman, Aquaman is going to be my most anticipated DCU movie. So, I meet the news that the movie will be using the Fury Road stunt team with 100% heavy metal skull smashing excitement.
One of my go-to “drunk in a bar and feeling shouty” conversation subjects is the lack of respect for stunt coordinators and the bruised, battered, and fearless men and women working with them. After all, these are people who put their personal safety on the line to bring movies to life and they don’t even have a category at the Academy Awards (something that has not gone unnoticed). And since one of my other go-to “drunk in a bar and feeling shouty” conversation subjects is all about how Mad Max: Fury Road really is as great, and maybe even better, than its reputation suggests, that film’s stunt team has nothing but my undying respect.
So the news that they’re working on James Wan’s Aquaman is the kind of display of good taste that makes me feel pretty warm toward the upcoming DC comics movie.
The news comes our way via Australia’s 9 News, who aired a brief profile on stunt coordinator Keir Beck and his team, who have lent their skills to numerous blockbusters that have filmed on the Gold Coast and beyond. After revealing that this team was working on Aquaman, which stars Game of Thrones‘ Jason Momoa as the title superhero, Beck spoke about what his team will contribute to the project and what skills will be necessary:
General stunt skills and fighting, if there is water sequences obviously being capable and competent in water.
James Wan proved himself perfectly adept at staging action movie mayhem with Furious 7, so the news that he’s teaming up with some of the men and women who helped make one of the greatest action movies of all time is a welcome development. To be fair, Beck was one of several stunt coordinators credited on Fury Road, but I’ll happily celebrate whenever anyone from that movie snags another gig.