To tease David Leitch’s “Bullet Train,” Sony has British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson on the ground in Barcelona. Taylor-Johnson stars alongside Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Karen Fukuhara in the upcoming film. Taylor-Johnson, fresh off the set of “Kraven the Hunter,” debuted 15 minutes of video from “Bullet Train,” an action-packed comedic thriller that was also presented at CinemaCon.
On Monday, Sony was the first of the major studios to present at CineEurope in Barcelona, which is taking place in the Catalan capital. At the beginning of the show, Sony Pictures International Releasing President Steven O’Dell remarked, “As an industry, we are anything but done.” With Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed $1.9 billion globally, and Uncharted, which debuted in January, the studio has just completed its most ambitious six-month release schedule yet.
Sony Teases ‘Bullet Train’ With Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Debuts ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ Clip At CineEurope!!
“I watched (the movie) last week and I was literally howling with laughter to the point that I almost peed on my seat a little. But honestly, this is the summer movie you do not want to miss — I am not kidding,” Nonetheless, Taylor-Johnson stated, “This is the summer movie you don’t want to miss—I’m not kidding.”
“It follows the ultimate legend, Brad Pitt, like you’ve never seen him before, surrounded by an incredible ensemble of absolutely bombastic, unhinged assassins who are connected but with conflicting agendas. You just can’t help but love Brad Pitt. I mean, he is the most handsome man in the world, but is also a comic genius,” he said.
‘Bullet Train,’ based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka, stars Brad Pitt as Ladybug, an assassin with a stroke of bad luck but great talent whose newest task takes him to Japan aboard the world’s fastest bullet train with assassins from all over the world.
Everyone engaged in the picture, including Taylor-Johnson, was, as he put it, “100% committed to the cinematic experience. We were making this film during the height of the pandemic (so) we have high hopes that it would one day be seen on the big screen, the way it should be.” On August 5, the film will be released in theatres.
On the subject of working with “Kraven the Hunter,” Taylor Johnson said that it was “one of Marvel’s most iconic, notorious anti-heroes — Spider Man’s number one rival.” The fact that this individual is “not an alien or a wizard. He’s just a hunter, a human with conviction. An animal lover and a protector of the natural world. He’s a very, very cool character.” He went on to say that “this one is shot entirely on location” in contrast to past Marvel films.
Aside from “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” “El Muerto,” and “Ghostbusters: The Next Generation,” Sony Pictures president Steven O’Dell said “Bullet Train” exemplifies the studio, “strong belief in the viability of originality,’ which he said complement the studio’s output of franchise-based blockbusters and sequels.
He said that in the last eight months, Sony proved that “theatrical is alive and profitable” and that “new and original stories are essential and they work” in the next few months.
It was also revealed during the Sony presentation at CineEurope that Spanish actor Javier Bardem will star as Héctor P. Valenti in the Will Speck and Josh Gordon film “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” with pop star Shawn Mendes providing the voice of Lyle. The musical comedy is based on Bernard Waber’s best-selling children’s book about a singing reptile who lives in a New York City house with the Primm family.
“This is a movie that I don’t think is on your radar yet, but I think it will be after today and it needs to be. While it’s based on a popular children’s book, the real magic to this film lies in what defines a big family co-viewing event: a high-concept film, full of laughter, infectious joy, emotion, and of course amazing special effects,” Steven O’Dell said.
As O’Dell explained in his opening remarks, Sony had two objectives in mind when planning its “most ambitious six-month slate ever” for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. A “clear theatrical window,” he said, “indeed matters,” drawing applause from the exhibitors and distributors in the audience. According to him, Sony’s strategy paid off, as the global box office took in $3 billion.
