87North, the production company behind films such as “Fall Guys,” “Nobody” and the “John Wick” series, is back at Stunt Design Showdown.
Now in its second year, Showdown is a competition to identify future stunt performers. It also serves as a launching pad for stunt performers, providing participants with access to specialized facilities, instruction, production tools, and connections with top industry experts. Each team receives the same script and production schedule, ensuring a level playing field and emphasizing storytelling, choreography, and cinematic direction. The competition lasts 56 hours and requires creative thinking and the ability to execute stunts perfectly under pressure. The company, co-founded by director David Leitch and Kelly McCormack, hopes to continue opening its doors to more ambitious stunt coordinators.
Pete Davidson, who previously co-starred with Leitch in his latest film How to Rob a Bank, expressed his excitement to work with the stunt coordinator on the film, which is scheduled for release in 2026.
Davidson said in an interview with Variety, “I was amazed at how excited the stunt team was, like a family, and how precise every move was.” She added, “They were very intentional with every little detail, adjusting certain things for my height, weight, and lack of skill. There was so much love, grace, and support that I felt so comfortable right away. I also loved how much they loved what they did, how seriously they took it, and how they were so enthusiastic about their next stunt. It was really exciting and refreshing.”
The contest will last for five days and all selected teams will compete to win a one-year membership to the 87North Action Design facility, a one-day professional post-production workshop with Narrator Inc., and a DJI camera package. For Leach, looking through the entries and choosing a winner proved difficult through all the potential candidates. This year’s winner won the grand prize with Code 10-10.
“This year’s entries were insane,” Leach says. “It was hard to pick a winner this year, but it’s a higher level than last year because people felt the competition and the positive camaraderie. It’s a small stunt community in the movie industry and we work on different movies together, so we’re like a family. It’s so fun to see everyone come together and everyone step up. You can’t believe the shit they come up with.”
With the recent news that a Best Stunt Design category will be added to the Academy Awards starting in 2027, Davidson and Leitch hope that stunt design showdowns will continue to grow and that more movie fans will be educated about the complexity and level of detail in stunt work.
“When I was watching the movie, I was thinking, ‘Oh, how long did it take to get ready?’ Because people don’t really understand how hard they work,” Davidson reveals. “People in the movie industry really value this category, but as a general audience, I don’t know if they realize how undervalued this category is. I love that David is advocating for this category, because the movie ‘John Woo Because when you watch a movie like “The Big Bang” and you see actors kicking ass, the people who are responsible for it get a big chorus (behind the scenes).As actors, directors, and screenwriters, we get a lot of the credit, but most people don’t think about the great people who made the movies.”It’s a team sport. ”
Leach hopes this recognition will encourage audiences to take the world of stunts seriously and encourage the next generation of stunt coordinators to be recognized by the entertainment industry. “We’re artists, and heads of departments like costume designers and production design design the worlds we’re immersed in, while stunt departments design the action sequences and create and curate what we present to the director, and it’s a very artistic process. We’re not just seen as carnivores passing through glass windows, we’re also the creative energy behind some of the film’s most memorable moments. It’s time for the stuntmen, like all the other artists in this film, to be recognized for the collaborative things we love. ”
