The Fall Guy: cast, story, release date and ticket booking

Sweet-natured, romantic and action-packed, The Fall Guy hits Cineworld screens this May. An all-star cast fronts this likeable story of an experienced stuntman who finds himself hilariously out of his depth when he's away from the cameras and embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy.

Tickets are now on sale so scroll to the end of this post and book your Cineworld seat now. But not before we've presented everything you need to know about the film, which is set to be one of the summer's biggest blockbusters.

What is the story of The Fall Guy?

Colt Seavers, a battered and past-his-prime action choreographer, finds himself working on a film set with Tom Ryder, a famous actor for whom he had doubled long ago.

When Tom goes missing and the film, which is being directed by Jody Moreno, Colt's ex-girlfriend in her directing debut, is in danger of being shut down, Colt volunteers to find Tom and save Jody's debut film.

Who stars in The Fall Guy?

The Fall Guy stars the internet's boyfriend™ Ryan Gosling, newly minted from his role as Ken in Barbie (2023), as Colt Seavers. Having recently watched Gosling bringing the 'Kenergy' to the 2024 Oscars ceremony in which he performed 'I'm Just Ken' live with guitarist Slash, we're now primed for his latest role.

The Fall Guy plays to the disparate ends of Gosling's screen persona, melding the comedy stylings of Barbie and The Nice Guys (2016) with the action credentials present in the likes of Drive (2011). However, Gosling is only half the story.

In the role of Jody is Emily Blunt, fresh from her first-ever Oscar nomination for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Like Gosling, Blunt has been praised for her range across a host of genres, from comedy (The Devil Wears Prada in 2006) to horror (A Quiet Place One and Two in 2018 and 2021), and musicals (Mary Poppins Returns in 2018).

Put these two together and you're bound to get sparks. Don't believe it? Scroll further down to read the reviews that have praised their on-screen chemistry.

Gosling and Blunt are backed by a superb supporting cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (is he our new Bond?) as pampered action star Tom Ryder, Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham as Jody's executive producer Gail and Winston Duke (Us) as Colt's stunt co-ordinator Dan.

Who directs The Fall Guy?

The Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch. He knows action cinema inside and out, having started as a stuntman on the likes of The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) before graduating to the role of action filmmaker supremo.

Leith co-directed the first John Wick movie in 2014 alongside Chad Stahelski, although he went uncredited. From there, Leitch went solo to helm Charlize Theron's hard-hitting Cold War thriller Atomic Blonde (2017), which was praised for its technically ambitious and bruising long-take fight sequences.

After that, Leith marshalled a blend of irreverent humour and violent action in Deadpool 2 (2018), starring Ryan Reynolds. And most recently he boarded the crazy train with Brad Pitt in the frenetic manga adaptation Bullet Train (2022).

Most of Leitch's films have melded off-kilter humour with impressive set pieces. This directly informs The Fall Guy's winning mixture of stuntwork, both on the set and off, and sweet romance between the hapless stunt performer and his no-nonsense director.

Watch the following video where Leitch talks about channelling his own experiences as a stunt person into The Fall Guy.

Is The Fall Guy based on a TV series?

Yes, albeit very loosely. The Fall Guy ran from 1981 to 1986, starring Lee Majors in the role of Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter.

One shouldn't expect too many similarities in the film other than the name of the main character. The movie heads in its own direction by focusing on the romance between Colt and Jody, and the ambitious nature of the action sequences is evidently a cut above 1980s small-screen content.

Has The Fall Guy received good reviews?

The Fall Guy has received enthusiastic reviews following its debut at this year's SXSW Film Festival. Critics have praised the performances of Gosling and Blunt, their combined chemistry and the film's sense of humour. It currently has an impressive 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 38 reviews, so there's a broadly positive consensus around the film.

"The Fall Guy is funny, it’s sexy, and it features the boy-toy version of “Barbie” scene-stealer Ryan Gosling — which is to say, this time around, he embodies the ultimate action figure," writes Peter Debruge in Variety.

"The Fall Guy, based on the 80s TV series, is an utterly charming, unpretentious rebuttal to the encroachment of digital effects in life and film (all due respect to VFX artists)," raves Adrian Horton in The Guardian. "It’s a celebration of blockbuster movies and their illusions of grandeur made by dozens and dozens of people working in concert, mostly below the line, and specifically the underappreciated work of stunt doubles.

"It’s also just a consistently good time, two hours of zingers with impeccable timing, two bona fide movie stars with palpable chemistry, several enjoyably meta send-ups of the business and, of course, plenty of crazy stunts."