David Leitch

For other people named David Leitch, see David Leitch (disambiguation).

David Leitch
File:David Leitch by Gage Skidmore.jpg Leitch at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1975-11-16) November 16, 1975 Kohler, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation	Filmmaker actor stunt performer stunt coordinator
Years active	1995–present

David Leitch (born November 16, 1975) is an American filmmaker, actor, stunt performer and stunt coordinator who made his directorial debut on the 2014 action film John Wick with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. Leitch then directed the 2017 thriller film Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron, and 2018's Deadpool 2, the sequel to the 2016 film. In 2019, he directed Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off of the Fast & Furious franchise. His newest movie is the 2022 released Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt.

Career

Leitch was a stunt double for Brad Pitt five times and two times for Jean-Claude Van Damme. Leitch and his crew won two awards for The Bourne Ultimatum at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. He also shared a 2008 Taurus World Stunt Award with fellow stunt-person Kai Martin for high work.

He wrote and starred in Confessions of an Action Star, a parody of action films and the action film industry released in 2009.

Leitch and Chad Stahelski opened an action design production company called 87Eleven in 1997. In 2009, Stahelski and Leitch were second-unit directors and stunt co-ordinators on Ninja Assassin. The two co-directed the 2014 film John Wick, although Leitch himself was not credited as co-director. Leitch executive produced the two John Wick sequels, which Stahelski solo directed.

He moved on to direct films such as Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw with his wife and creative partner Kelly McCormick serving as a producer. In 2022, he also directed Brad Pitt in the action-thriller Bullet Train.

Upcoming projects

In January 2019, Leitch signed on to direct Undying Love, based on the limited comic book series by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman, for Studio 8. In September 2020, Leitch signed on to direct and produce stuntman drama The Fall Guy for Universal Pictures, with Drew Pearce writing the screenplay and Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt starring; the film, based on the 1980s television series of the same name, is scheduled for release on March 1, 2024. In November 2022, Leitch became attached to direct spy thriller Red Shirt, based on a pitch by Simon Kinberg and with Channing Tatum set to star; by the end of the month, the project was picked up by Amazon Studios.

Leitch was set to direct action thriller Fast & Loose for Netflix and STXfilms, with Will Smith set to star, but by March 2022, he had departed the project to focus instead on The Fall Guy.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title
		Director	Producer	Notes
2014	John Wick	Uncredited	Yes	Co-directed with Chad Stahelski
2017	Atomic Blonde	Yes	No
2018	Deadpool 2	Yes	No
2019	Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw	Yes	No
2021	Nobody	No	Yes
2022	Bullet Train	Yes	Yes
	Violent Night	No	Yes
2024	The Fall Guy	Yes	Yes	Filming

Writer

• Confessions of an Action Star (2005)

Executive producer

• Fetch (2007 short)
• John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
• Kate (2021)

Short film

Year	Title	Notes
2017	Deadpool: No Good Deed
2019	Snowbrawl	Shot on iPhone 11, sponsored by Apple Inc.

Second-unit director

• In Hell (2003)
• The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
• Ninja Assassin (2009)
• The King of Fighters (2010)
• The Mechanic (2011)
• Conan the Barbarian (2011)
• In Time (2011)
• Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
• Parker (2013)
• Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
• The Wolverine (2013)
• Escape Plan (2013)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
• Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
• Jurassic World (2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)

Stuntwork

• Perfect Target (1997)
• Orgazmo (1997)
• Almost Heroes (1998)
• BASEketball (1998)
• Blade (1998)
• Out in Fifty (1999)
• Fight Club (1999)
• The Right Hook (2000)
• Big Momma's House (2000)
• Yup Yup Man (2000)
• Bad Seed (2000)
• Men of Honor (2000)
• The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option (2001)
• The Score (2001)
• The Mexican (2001)
• Replicant (2001)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• Spy Game (2001)
• One Night at McCool's (2001)
• Ghost of Mars (2001)
• Corky Romano (2001)
• The Order (2001)
• Serving Sara (2002)
• Daredevil (2003)
• In Hell (2003)
• Seabiscuit (2003)
• S.W.A.T. (2003)
• The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions (2003)
• Stuck on You (2003)
• Troy (2004)
• In Enemy Hands (2004)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• Constantine (2005)
• XXX: State of the Union (2005)
• Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
• The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
• Serenity (2005)
• V for Vendetta (2005)
• Underworld: Evolution (2006)
• When a Stranger Calls (2006)
• Beerfest (2006)
• 300 (2006)
• Next (2007)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
• The Invasion (2007)
• I Am Legend (2007)
• The Gene Generation (2007)
• Mama's Boy (2007)
• Jumper (2008)
• Speed Racer (2008)
• The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
• Bangkok Dangerous (2008)
• Angels & Demons (2009)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
• The Hangover (2009)
• Tron: Legacy (2010)
• The Mechanic (2011)
• Conan the Barbarian (2011)
• In Time (2011)
• Movie 43: "Happy Birthday" segment (2013)
• Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Acting credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	The Order	Det. Mike Moran
2002	Nine Lives	Paul
2003	In Hell	Paul
2005	V for Vendetta	Convenience Store V
	Confessions of an Action Star	Frank Sledge
	The Dukes of Hazzard	Puncher
2007	Fetch	John "Fetch" Fetcher	Short film
2009	Ninja Assassin	Europol Door Guard
2010	The King of Fighters	Terry Bogard
2011	The Mechanic	Sebastian
2012	The Bourne Legacy	The Driver
2013	Escape Plan	Ship Captain
2018	Deadpool 2	Cain Marko / Juggernaut Ground Church Mutant	Leitch provided motion-capture performance on-set, while Ryan Reynolds provided facial motion-capture and voice performances
2019	Hobbs & Shaw	Helicopter Pilot
2022	Bullet Train	Jeff Zufelt

Television

Stunts

Year	Title	Notes
1995	Sherman Oaks	Season 1
1996	7th Heaven
1997-2001	Buffy the Vampire Slayer	18 episodes
1998	CHiPs '99	TV movie
1999	The Practice	Episode: "Day in Court"
	The Strip
2000	The President's Man	TV movie
2001	The Pretender 2001
	Scrubs
2006	2006 MTV Movie Awards	TV Special; Stunt double
	General Hospital	Episode 10967

Acting credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Martial Law	David Hasbro	Episodes "Diamond Fever", "Dead Ringers", "Funny Money" and "Trackdown"
2000	Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue	Brian	Episode "Up to the Challenge"
2001	Walker Texas Ranger	Floyd Jessop	Episode "Medieval Crimes"
2003	L.A. County 187	Earnest Cop	TV movie
2004	Charmed	Innocent	Episode "There's Something About Leo"
2019	Songland	Himself	Episode "Aloe Blacc"

Video games

Year	Title	Credited as	Notes
1999	Tomorrow Never Dies	Stunts	Sony PlayStation release Developed by Black Ops Entertainment Co-published by Electronic Arts and MGM Interactive
2000	HBO Boxing	Stunt coordinator	Sony PlayStation release Developed by Acclaim Sports and Osiris Studios Published by Acclaim Entertainment

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Nominated work	Category	Result	Ref.
2007	Screen Actors Guild Awards	300	Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture	Nominated
		The Bourne Ultimatum		Won
2019	Grammy Awards	Deadpool 2	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Nominated

External links

• David Leitch at the Internet Movie Database
• David Leitch interviewed at Kung Fu Cinema
• David Leitch as Hollywood.com
• David Leitch at TV Guild
• David Leitch as Fandango
• David Leitch at Variety.com