J.J. Perry is back in the director’s chair with the romantic action comedyThe Killer’s Game. Perry began his career working on the stunt side of the industry, having worked on everything from the originalMortal Kombatmovies in the ’90s to the Wesley Snipes-ledBladeandThree Kingsbefore working his way up to being a stunt coordinator and second unit director on such hits as Tom Hardy’sWarriortoThe Fate of the FuriousandJohn Wick: Chapter 2. Perry recently took a major step forward with his directorial debut inthe Jamie Foxx-ledDay Shift, which garnered mixed-to-positive reviews.
The Killer’s Gameserves as an adaptation of Jay Bonansinga’s 1997 novel of the same name, chronicling the story of Joe Flood, a seasoned hitman who, during a job, crosses paths and falls in love with a dancer named Maize. Their fairytale romance hits a major speedbump when Joe is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness, in which he elects to put a hit out on himself so that Maize can be given life insurance money for his death. When he learns he was misdiagnosed and will actually live, Joe must fight for survival against the various assassins coming after him.
The Killer’s Game Ending Explained: What Happens To Joe?
The Killer’s Game concludes with an action-packed ending, and here’s what it means for Dave Bautista’s character Joe and a potential franchise.
Dave Bautista leads theensembleKiller’s Gamecastas Joe alongside Sofia Boutella as Maize, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff, Ben Kingsley, Alex Kingston, Drew Galloway, Shaina West, Daniel Bernhardt and Lee Hoon. Utilizing the same level of in-depth fight choreography Perry has perfected throughout his career while also offering Bautista a chance to be the lead in a romantic comedy, the movie proves to be an entertaining genre mashup packed full of explosive action and great performances.
In honor of the movie’s digital release,Screen Rantinterviewed J.J. Perry to discussThe Killer’s Game, the 10-year journey the filmmaker went through to make the movie, how he went about balancing the dual tones of action and romantic comedy, creating innovative new action sequences with his team, and the thrill of getting to partner with Bautista and Boutella.
Perry Feels “Very Blessed” By HowThe Killer’s Game’s Journey Turned out
“…that script’s been out there a long time.”
Screen Rant: You first encounteredThe Killer’s Gamescript over a decade ago. Can you talk about how your vision for the film evolved during that time?
J.J. Perry: Yeah, so I got called to be the stunt coordinator about 10 years ago, and then it went away. Then, I got called to be the stunt coordinator and second unit director when it was going to be another director like three years ago. And then, somehow, it was another actor and another director, and I was going to come do the action for them, and that fell apart, and then they asked me to direct it. So, having read all these iterations of Killers Game over the years, that script’s been out there a long time. When it came to me, Andrew Lazar and Steve Richards — Andrew Lazar came to me first.
He watched Day Shift in the editing room and that’s when I got offered the job. When it came my way, I said, “Let’s take it out of London,” because we didn’t have enough money to shoot it in London. “Let’s take it to Hungary.” Andrew and Steve allowed me to bring James Coyne, a dear friend of mine, on, and we did a polish, and we took some of the old hitters out that you might’ve seen in other movies since then, because the script’s been around there. And we put my Goyang crew, my Karachi killing machine, my exotic dancers, my salsa assassin, my Scottish brothers.
We just put a little bit of our DNA in there, and that’s how we got it up and running. So, that’s how it happened for me. I was very blessed. We shot the movie in 42 days very quickly during a SAG strike. We had a waiver, but that’s how I think we got the cast that we got, because everybody wasn’t working. And because we have the waiver, I got really lucky with that.
Perry’s Experience WithDay ShiftGave Him 2 Major Lessons For The Future
“…learning how to manage post for me was huge.”
Now,you talked aboutDay Shift. How did your experience directing that movie influence your approach toThe Killer’s Game?
J.J. Perry: Budgeting my time a little different. As a stunt coordinator or stuntman, second unit director, or fight coordinator, you’re always prepping and shooting movies. 33 years of my life, I was prepping it, shooting it, and going to the next movie. The difference is budgeting my time in post, because I never did post before, and Day Shift post was like this dark cave that I didn’t know my way around. I was like, “What’s going on?” I’d show up at 5:00 a.m., like I usually do, I’d get up early, and then I was like, “Well, where’s everybody?” So, learning how to manage post for me was huge. And I would say that was the biggest lesson was figuring out how to budget my time best while I’m in post-production.
This film has an incredible cast. Can you talk about if there were any improv on set and how much they actually contributed to their roles to make it really them?
J.J. Perry: Yeah, so one of the things I learned on Day Shift is don’t cut the camera. So, what I did was I’ll just run really long takes instead of cut and resetting everything, I’ll roll it out and say, “Okay, okay, let’s go back to one and do it,” or, “Let’s pick it up from here and just run through, run it, run it, run it.” Because, when you’re fighting, it’s all about momentum, that’s my take on it. And when you don’t have a ton of time, 42 days isn’t a lot of time to shoot a big movie like that. You got to grind through it, but also give the artists the time they need to do what they need to do to get what we need from them.
So, it was running long takes and absolutely improvising, like, “Try this.” And then, they would try something, I would throw a nickel, they would turn it into 25 cents, all of a sudden, it’s a dollar. So, that’s kind of the way that I like running it now. And I learned that from watching Ang Lee. I learned that from Chad. I learned that from another director, Paul Feig, that I was a big fan of working for him. He’s a great director when it came to improvising. So, you learn a lot from the people you work with, the good things they did, the mistakes they made. And that’s kind of how I’ve built my [approach]. I’m trying my best, that’s the way I did it.
Through your experience of adapting action sequences from various challenges, what key lessons will you carry forward to future projects?
J.J. Perry: So, I’m learning more about post-production now, because when you’re a stunt coordinator, stuntman, second unit director, you don’t go to post. You prepare, and you execute, then you fly somewhere else and do it all over again on a different show. When you’re a director, you get in post-production, and learning how to budget my time better in post has been the challenge. Day Shift, I had no clue what I was doing. I thought, “Okay, we’re finished, but we’re not finished. Whoa, whoa, whoa.” It was a new thing for me.
Killer’s Game was a much better experience. I was more prepared for that. And I think the one I just finished, Afterburn, I think we’ve been very efficient in post this way. So listen, I’m 57, I’m still learning. I’m grateful, I never thought I was going to be a director, but I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I’d be a fool if I didn’t try to learn every bit of how to be more efficient. That’s part of being a second-year director. When you’re a second-year director, you’re locking up a city with 13 cars and 14 cameras and helicopters and there’s explosions.
You have to be a responsible filmmaker, but you also have the burden of not killing somebody at 90 miles an hour, that most directors will never experience. So, I feel like that makes a breeding ground for responsible filmmaking on the next level. Now, storytelling is another deal. Either you can or you can’t, or you have to learn. And that’s another thing I’m working on, too. I want to keep working on my storytelling skills.
People Are “Missing Out Big Time” If They Don’t Have Someone Like Bautista In Their Life
“…one of the most generous, kind, smart, hardworking people that I’ve ever met.”
I love that Dave Bautista is in this, because I think he can do it all. I’ve seenhim inBlade Runner 2049, he completely disappears, and I love the roles that he’s choosing for himself lately, because he’s really stretching his acting legs. So, how did Bautista’s involvement reshape your approach or vision to the film?
J.J. Perry: First of all, if you don’t have a Dave Bautista in your life, you’re missing out big time. He’s ultimately one of the most generous, kind, smart, hardworking people that I’ve ever met. And he’s also one of the most dangerous people I’ve ever met, even though I haven’t seen a mean bone in his body. But he’s a genuine apex human being that’s super powerful and very skilled as far as the action goes. When I pitched Dave, I said, “Look, I’m making a love story that has a train wreck with an action movie, and I need to get the love story right.”
As a director, that’s going to be my burden, is to make sure that we do this romantic comedy correct, where there’s stakes, and you care about the people. I’m not really worried about the action. That’s been my day job forever. I mean, me and my team, I’ve been working with the same team forever, and Justin Yu, Troy Robinson, Felix Betancourt, we go all over the world doing these crazy action sequences. So, for me, that’s not the hard part. He was all in when I said that. And with the action, I’m choreographing for a six-foot-four man who’s a master at wrestling and a master at jujitsu and is a great striker. He’s fought a bunch, too, so we’re having to build the choreography around that.
So, in saying that, when you’re building choreography for someone your size, it’s different. And then, having Felix Betancourt, who is a wrestler and a breakdancer, as one of my fight coordinators, he’s got a unique style. That’s where the dancing came from, and from Marco, as well. But in saying that, Felix is short, so [it was about] challenging Felix and my team to come up with big guy choreography, and Dave always has a say in it, as well. He’s got two great stunt doubles in Rob de Groot and the great team. So yeah, I mean, it wasn’t a tall order. We knew what to do, we knew the exercise, and we did it very quickly.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but you mentioned a memorable meeting in a parking lot with Dave. Can you share more about that encounter and how that impacted your collaboration?
J.J. Perry: Absolutely. So when we were doing John Wick 2, and I was prepping Reeves, and Chad was meeting people to play Cassian. Dave Bautista shows up at 87Eleven, and I was such a big fan at that point, I was like, “We’re not expecting to see him. Oh s–t, it’s Dave Bautista.” And he talked to Chad for a while, and when he was leaving, I ran out in the parking lot with him. I got a picture of it, and I was like, “Hey dude, I just want to tell you I’m a big fan. I’m J.J., I’d love to do something with you in the future.” He’s super cool, he wrestled, he was a bodyguard, he was security. I was in the army, I was a competitor, as well. I felt like we kind of knew each other. I just knew right away, “At some point, I want to work with this man.” And when the opportunity came, we didn’t hesitate. We jumped at it. I’m super grateful that we did.
Perry Loves Getting To Work With Wrestlers-Turned-Actors For 1 Key Reason
“…that’s second to none, and it’s a blessing.”
Now, having worked with numerous pro wrestlers with unique qualities, how do they bring the action to the film? And how did Dave and Drew McIntyre stand out?
J.J. Perry: So, I think I’ve been working with guys from wrestling since the ’90s as a stunt performer. I mean everyone from Randy Savage, Macho Man, I’ve got it all. I’ve worked with all those guys on Walker, Texas Ranger, the Mortal Kombat TV series, other movies, like all of them. The Rock, Cena, everyone, everyone, everyone. So, what they do is they bring this ability to retain choreography, because when you’re doing a live show in front of 40,000 people, you may’t just say, “Okay, cut. Let’s go back to one.”
It’s not like a movie. They have to remember long, long [choreography], because there’s no rounds, either. It’s one long take. So, in saying that, they bring this ability to retain choreography, that’s second to none, and it’s a blessing. I called Dave and I said, “Hey man, I got my bro Scott Adkins playing this unintelligible Scottish hitman. I need a really big guy.” And he goes, “I know exactly who to call.” The next day, I was on the phone with Drew, and he was in, and they just bring a level of professionalism and coolness because they’re basically live show stuntmen that are famous.
And stuntmen, in my business, we hide behind the curtain. We go, “Oh, we didn’t do that. They did that, whatever.” But in saying that, we are always very giving. “What can we do to make this better? It’s not about me, me, me,” or, “It’s not about my closeup, or my line, or my shot.” It’s about what we can do to make this better. And I always really enjoy that and admire that. And that’s one of the things I’ll never forget, and I’m grateful for being a stuntman. I learned a lot of that, it’s a very giving spot.
Perry Was “Scared S—less” Trying To Cast Maize For The Film
“…there was palpable chemistry, lots of giggling, lots of fun.”
Now, I don’t want this to get lost in the sauce, because this is also a fantastic romantic comedy. You mentioned aiming to create a love story rather than a typical action film. Can you talk about balancing the two genres?
J.J. Perry: So, we shot the movie differently. We shot the beginning of the movie with softer light and different lenses to make their relationship look more special. And I put him in clothes that he doesn’t normally wear. I remember he goes, “Oh man, I look stupid.” I said, “No, you look cool. You are hot, bro. Come on. And the two of you together move the camera, soft light, lots of fairy lights everywhere.” So there was a definite method to that.
And the way we were even gently moving the camera, slowly pushing in, there’s a lot of that. And then, we cut to when it turns into an action movie. It’s more abrupt. They’re cleaner, longer takes. So, there was a definite method to that madness, and I’m grateful that it came out, and you noticed it. Tonally, I wanted to make sure that the movie planted and pivoted when we introduced Pom’s character. I also wanted to make sure that all of the characters, all of the hitters got their day in court, make sure that we are invested in these people in a good way.
I want to talk about Sofia Boutella, because she’s incredible in this film. How did Dave’s suggestion of Sofia for the role of Maize come about, and how did you ensure their onscreen chemistry between the two of them?
J.J. Perry: I was scared s—less of the Maize role, because I needed a real actress that would have chemistry with Dave that could dance. And you may ask actresses, “Can you dance?” They’ll go, “Yeah, I dance.” But I don’t mean dance like ballet in the third grade for a week or two, I’m talking about really dance. So they did Hotel Artemis together, he mentioned her name, and I was like, “Oh yeah.” As soon as I saw them together, not on set, but at the production office — we just did a little readthrough — I knew right away I was on one.
I could tell right away. I’m on it. I’m on one right now. It’s perfect, because there was palpable chemistry, lots of giggling, lots of fun. The whole set of the movie was like that. And Terry Crews is another gem of a human that I’ve worked with before, and I’m super grateful to work with. But everyone leveled up on that. And Sofia, the camera loves her. She can dance. She’s a great actress, has that chemistry, I just had so much fun working with those two.
Perry Worked With His Action Team To Create Memorable Action Sequences (Even If It Wasn’t His Priority)
“I knew it was going to be awesome.”
I love your action sequences in this film. Can you describe any particularly innovative or challenging action sequences fromThe Killer’s Game, and how you brought that to life?
J.J. Perry: So, we did a lot of the motorcycle chases with drones. Justin Yu, and Troy Robinson, and Felix Betancourt, they’re my core team, and Justin and Troy and I have been doing a lot of work with Tommy Tibajia from Wild Rabbit Drones, one of the best, maybe the best, in the world drone guy. Things like throwing drones out of a sunroof while you’re in a car chase.
We just tried to find the next shot, and that’s my job as a filmmaker, is to show the audience another perspective of something they haven’t seen before. So, that was one of the things that was super innovative, I think, is shooting that with the drones, doing drone handoffs and coming up with interesting [sequences].
Like, have you ever seen somebody get their teeth knocked out and somebody catch it? Like, uppercut their teeth and catch it? Doing things that might be wacky, but if you haven’t seen it and that’s what people say, “Oh dude, they caught the teeth.” Well, you remembered that. [Chuckles] That was awesome. So, there you go. It’s trying to come up with new unique things, but my biggest focus, again, wasn’t necessarily the action. I knew it was going to be awesome. When my team talked about it, it was getting that rom-com right.
Perry Is Hopeful For AKiller’s Game 2(& Knows What Would Pair Well For A Double Feature)
“I don’t think you can lose putting it with anything.”
I’m already looking forward toThe Killer’s Game 2. Do we have any updates? Are you starting to plan out sequences in your head of what that looks like?
J.J. Perry: From your lips to God’s ears, I know what to do.
Last question I have for you, J.J., is thatThe Killer’s Gameis currently available on digital. One thing I love doing myself is I love double features. I love watching two films back-to-back. If you had to pairThe Killer’s Gamewith any other film, what would you pair it with for your own personal double feature?
J.J. Perry: Of course, I would say Day Shift. But if you weren’t going to watch something else, I would tell you Big Trouble in Little China or something like that. That’s my first love is Big Trouble in Little China, Lost Boys, Fright Night, Evil Dead, all those movies from the ’80s where you had to do it in camera. You couldn’t just say, “Oh, fix it in post, because I don’t know what I’m doing.” No, you have to figure that out. I love that, and you couldn’t lose putting that with the John Wick movie. You couldn’t lose putting that with Bullet Train. I don’t think you can lose putting it with anything.
AboutThe Killer’s Game
In the new action-comedy THE KILLER’S GAME, when top hit man Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hit men he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.
Check out our previousKiller’s Gameinterviews with the cast and crewfrom the red carpet premiere of the film!
The Killer’s Gameis now available on digital platforms and hits shelves on 4K Ultra-HD, with both a Steelbook and regular option, Blu-ray and DVD on November 19!
The Killer’s Game
Cast
A hitman named Joe is diagnosed with a terminal illness and decides to end his life on his own terms by placing a hit on himself. When he learns the diagnosis was a mistake, he must evade the world’s deadliest assassins who are now targeting him. The action-packed narrative follows Joe as he fights for survival while confronting his past decisions and the relentless killers pursuing him.
