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 ''John Wick'' is an American action thriller media franchise created by Derek Kolstad and centering around John Wick, a former hitman who is forced back into the criminal underworld he had abandoned. The franchise began with the release of '' ...

'' with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. Leitch then directed the 2017 thriller film ''

Atomic Blonde ''Atomic Blonde'' is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by David Leitch (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, based on the 2012 graphic novel ''The Coldest City'' by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. The ...

'', starring Charlize Theron, 2018's ''

Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero comedy film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to ''Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment overall in the ''X-Men'' film series. ...

'', the sequel to the 2016 film. In 2019, he directed ''

Hobbs & Shaw ''Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw'' is a 2019 American buddy action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce, from a story by Morgan. It is the first spinoff of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise ...

'', a spin-off of the ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...

'' franchise, and in 2022 directed ''

Bullet Train Bullet train may refer to: Rail * Shinkansen high-speed trains of Japan, nicknamed for their appearance and speed * Other high-speed trains of a similar appearance to Japanese trains * An ongoing project to build high-speed rail in India. Rail to ...

'', starring Brad Pitt.

Career

Leitch was a stunt double for Brad Pitt five times and two times for

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the ag ...

. 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 ''Confessions of an Action Star'' is an American action comedy mockumentary starring David Leitch, Angelina Jolie, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Eric Roberts, Dax Shepard, Debbie Allen, Lee Arenberg and directed by Brad Martin. The film was tit ...

'', 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 ''Ninja Assassin'' is a 2009 neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin ...

.'' The two co-directed the 2014 film ''

'', 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 ''

'', ''

'' 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 ''

''.

Upcoming projects

In January 2019, Leitch signed on to direct ''Undying Love'', based on the limited comic book series by

Tomm Coker Tomm Coker, also known as Thomas L. Coker (born November 3, 1972), is an American comic book artist and film director/writer. Career Coker's career started in the early nineties drawing comic books for Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Marvel Com ...

and Daniel Freedman, for Studio 8. In September 2020, Leitch signed on to direct and produce stuntman drama ''

The Fall Guy ''The Fall Guy'' is an American action/adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who mo ...

'' for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, with

Drew Pearce Drew Pearce is a British screenwriter, director, and producer. He is known for creating the British TV comedy '' No Heroics'', co-writing ''Iron Man 3'' and '' Hobbs & Shaw'', and writing the story for '' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation'' ...

writing the screenplay and Ryan Gosling and

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Leah Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awar ...

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 Simon David Kinberg (born August 2, 1973) is a British-born American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film franchise, and has also written such films as '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' and '' Sherlock Holmes''. He ...

and with

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film '' Step Up''. He gained wider attention for his leading rol ...

set to star; by the end of the month, the project was picked up by

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

. Leitch was set to direct action thriller ''Fast & Loose'' for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

and STXfilms, with

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

set to star, but by March 2022, he had departed the project to focus instead on ''The Fall Guy''.

Filmography

Film

Writer * ''

'' (2005) Executive producer * ''Fetch'' (2007 short) * '' John Wick: Chapter 2'' (2017) * '' John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum'' (2019) * ''

Kate Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

'' (2021)

Short film

Second-unit director

* ''

In Hell ''In Hell'' is a 2003 American action film directed by Ringo Lam. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, with a supporting cast of Lawrence Taylor, Marnie Alton, Malakai Davidson and Billy Rieck. An adaptation of the 1978 film '' Midnight Expres ...

'' (2003) * ''

The Midnight Meat Train ''The Midnight Meat Train'' is a 2008 American horror film based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection '' Books of Blood''. The film follows a photographer who attempts to tr ...

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

The King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of '' The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main p ...

'' (2010) * '' The Mechanic'' (2011) * ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

'' (2011) * ''

In Time ''In Time'' is a 2011 American science fiction action film written, directed and produced by Andrew Niccol. Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake star as inhabitants of a society which uses time from one's lifespan as its primary currency, with ...

'' (2011) * '' Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'' (2013) * ''

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...

'' (2013) * '' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues'' (2013) * '' The Wolverine'' (2013) * '' Escape Plan'' (2013) * ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' (2014) * '' Hitman: Agent 47'' (2015) * '' Jurassic World'' (2015) * '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) * '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'' (2016)

Stuntwork

Acting credits

Television

Stunts

Acting credits

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
David Leitch interviewed at Kung Fu Cinema

David Leitch as Hollywood.com

David Leitch at TV Guild

David Leitch as Fandango

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leitch, David Living people 1975 births Place of birth missing (living people) American male film actors American film directors American stunt performers American male television actors American parodists Comedy film directors Parody film directors Action film directors 21st-century American male actors People from Kohler, Wisconsin Film producers from Wisconsin