In the new Disney+ documentary Stuntman, we will go behind-the-scenes with legendary stunt artist Eddie Braun to learn how the thrill of action sequences is created in film. We also get an exclusive look into a particularly daredevil attempt of recreating another legendary stuntman Evel Knievel’s 1975 Snake River Canyon rocket jump.
Braun’s career spans over three decades through a varying series of stunts performed for 260 credits. Perhaps his most famous works have been in The Avengers, Texas Ranger, the Transformers, Prison Break, and Rush Hour. Not to forget, Braun has also lent his services to shows where “action” may not be so prominent — for example, Big Bang Theory and Lucifer.
As enthralling as action scenes can be, often artists like Braun do not get the spotlight they deserve, especially if we really sit down to consider the amount of skill, dedication, and risk involved in it. The Disney+ documentary film is about to change our perspective on it.
Watch the latest trailer, released July 16.
Right before its premiere, Screen Rant brings us two exclusive clips from the documentary.
The first one is where Braun attempts to recreate the infamous Snake River Canyon rocket jump. To give you a little context, the original stunt was performed by Evel Knievel, a well-known stunt performer and Braun’s own childhood hero.
Knievel would go on to jet himself across the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket, a stunt that almost cost him his life. Four decades later, on the precipice of his own career, Braun wants to finish what his hero once started.
This stunt was financed by Braun himself with the rocket built by Scott Truax, son of the NASA scientist Robert Truax who built the original rocket.
In the second clip, we get a glimpse into the everyday work life of a stunt artist, as Braun films an action scene for FX’s Sons of Anarchy. From the outside, the car chase that results in cars toppling down a cliff is horrifying enough, but seeing it through Braun’s angle, with a camera positioned inside the car he drives is another story altogether.
You will hear Braun say time and again, that these stunts are not something he is pressurized into doing. While his acts are varied, Braun was best known for expertise in car crashes, death leaps and explosions. This is unlike his guru Knievel who mostly performed motorcycle stunts.
There is no denying that without artists like Braun, who risk it all for this labor of love, our movies and shows would not be what they are. And yet, it takes bigger names like Dwayne Johnson’s, Stuntman’s executive producer, to bring attention to the men behind the action – in this case, Braun.
Braun reveals that it was through Johnson’s efforts and conviction that Stuntman was pushed onto Disney’s streaming platform.
In 2018, Stuntman had already made its world premiere at LA Film Festival, bagging the prize for Audience Award choice winner for Best Documentary Feature. Now, it will be re-created as a Disney+ original.
Alongside Johnson, the documentary film is also executively produced by Dany Garcia. It will premiere on Disney+ on July 23.
About Stuntman
Stuntman is an American documentary film that originally premiered at the LA Film Festival in 2018. In 2021, it has been re-created as a Disney+ Original, executively produced by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.
It follows the journey of legendary stuntman Eddie Braun, who has spent 3 decades as a stunt artist in the film and TV industry. In an exclusive for the documentary, he performs the infamous Snake River Canyon rocket jump, in an attempt to recreate Evel Knievel’s feat that almost killed him.
Source: Screenrant
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