Taglines: The end of the line is just the beginning.
In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world’s fastest train…and he’s got to figure out how to get off. From the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, the end of the line is only the beginning in a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan.
Bullet Train is an American action comedy film directed by David Leitch, from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz. It is based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle (published in English as Bullet Train) by Kōtarō Isaka. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, and Sandra Bullock. Bullet Train was released in the United States on August 5, 2022, by Sony Pictures Releasing.
Bullet Train was initially developed by Antoine Fuqua—who produced the film—through his Fuqua Films banner. It was also originally intended to be a violent R-rated action film, but the project turned into a R-rated comedy during the development process.
It was announced in June 2020 that Sony Pictures hired David Leitch to direct the adaptation of the Kōtarō Isaka novel from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz, and Brad Pitt being cast in the film the following month. Joey King entered negotiations to join in a role described as a supporting role on “a cameo level”. In September, Andrew Koji was added, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry joining in October.
In November 2020, Zazie Beetz, Masi Oka, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, and Hiroyuki Sanada joined the cast, with Leitch revealing in December that Karen Fukuhara had also joined, and that Jonathan Sela would serve as cinematographer. That same month, Bad Bunny was also added to the cast, and Sandra Bullock joined the following year in February to replace Lady Gaga, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with House of Gucci.
Production for Bullet Train began in October 2020 in Los Angeles, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming started on November 16, 2020. and wrapped in March 2021. According to the film’s stunt coordinator, Greg Rementer, Pitt performed 95 percent of his stunts in the film.
The castings of several non-Asian actors, including Brad Pitt and Joey King, prompted accusations of whitewashing as their characters were Japanese in Kōtarō Isaka’s novel. David Inoue, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League, criticized the castings, explaining that while the American adaptation would have been appropriate if the setting took place in the United States, the filmmakers chose to keep the novel’s Japanese setting while keeping Japanese characters in the film’s background, strengthening charges of whitewashing.
Inoue also questioned the actors’ allyship to the Asian community for knowingly accepting whitewashed roles and further criticized the film for pushing the “belief that Asian actors in the leading roles cannot carry a blockbuster” despite the recent successes of Asian-led films such as Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Bullet Train (2022)
Directed by: David Leitch
Starring: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, Karen Fukuhara, Johanna Watts
Screenplay by: Zak Olkewicz
Production Design by: David Scheunemann
Cinematography by: Jonathan Sela
Film Editing by: Elisabet Ronaldsdottir
Costume Design by: Sarah Evelyn
Set Decoration by: Elizabeth Keenan
Art Direction by: Richard Bloom, Chris Farmer, Nicolas Plotquin
Music by: Dominic Lewis
MPAA Rating: R for strong and bloody violence, pervasive language, and brief sexuality.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures
Release Date: August 5, 2022
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