Guiness Book of World Records to be precise!

Earlier this week GlobalGrind editors were among the first to witness a heart-stopping display of precision and skill from Logan Holladay, stunt driver for Oscar^® nominee Ryan Gosling’s character in Universal Pictures’ new 87North film, The Fall Guy,  when he shattered the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 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 fiberglass body.

Source: Courtesy / Universal Pictures

The Fall Guy, inspired by the 1980’s 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 honoring 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 honors 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.”

Source: Courtesy / Universal Pictures

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 theinfluence of film sets and the world of stunts was always there,” Holladay says. “When I learned about The FallGuy 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.

Source: Courtesy / Universal Pictures

Producer and star Ryan Gosling and David Leitch presented Holladay with the Guinness World Records 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.

 Check out the record-breaking scene below:

Incredible, right?!

Source: Courtesy / Universal Pictures

Here’s more about the film:

He’s a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?

From real-life stunt man and director David Leitch, the blockbuster director of Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and the producer of John Wick, Nobody and Violent Night, comes his most personal film yet. A new hilarious, hard-driving, all-star apex-action thriller and love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under-appreciated crew of people who make them: The Fall Guy.

Oscar^® nominee Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, Drive) stars 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, played by Oscar^® nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place films, Sicario)—goes missing.

Source: Courtesy / Universal Pictures

While the film’s ruthless producer (Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham; Ted Lasso), maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder (Golden Globe winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Bullet Train) 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.

Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series, The Fall Guy also stars Winston Duke (Black Panther franchise) and Academy Award^®nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

From a screenplay by Hobbs & Shaw screenwriter Drew Pearce, The Fall Guy is produced by Kelly McCormick (Bullet Train, Nobody, Atomic Blonde) and David Leitch for their company 87North, and by Ryan Gosling and by Guymon Casady (Game of Thrones, Steve Jobs and executive producer of the upcoming series Ripley) for Entertainment 360. The film is executive produced by Drew Pearce, Entertainment 360’s Geoff Shaevitz and the creator of theoriginal Fall Guy television series, Glen A. Larson.

The Fall Guy arrives in theaters on May 3, 2024.