Leaping over walls, taking a punch, landing a kick, feeling the heat of an explosion, and sometimes holding dangerously sharp objects, these are the routine dangers stuntwomen face at the office. On September 22, 2020, Shout! Studios will unleash the highly anticipated documentary feature STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY on digital platforms everywhere for watch-at-home.
Directed by April Wright (Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace) and narrated by Michelle Rodriguez (Widows, The Fast and the Furious), STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY is the inspiring untold story about the unsung professionals, their struggles on screen to perform at the highest level, and their fight off-screen to be treated fairly and equally. The movie takes us behind-the-scenes and introduces us to the female stunt performers who drive the action and thrills of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies from the silent age of cinema to present day.
STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY, based on the best-selling book by Mollie Gregory, introduces us to the secret stars who provide the electrifying action that makes the best Hollywood movies and television, from the first black-and-white “flickers” to today’s high-tech mega epics. These unheralded heroines are the generations of stuntwomen who risked their lives in front of the camera, while behind it they fought for equal rights with male stunt performers, battled sexism and harassment, sustained life-threatening injuries and returned to the fray after each battle. Michelle Rodriguez meets some of the stuntwomen who have doubled for her in numerous action sequences. Film historian Ben Mankiewicz (Turner Classic Movies) guides Michelle and two stunt performers through film clips from the early days of cinema, when women performed their own stunts. Directors Paul Verhoeven, Paul Feig and Anne Fletcher and producer Al Ruddy discuss the importance of stunt performers in their films and reveal some tricks of the trade. Nell Scovell (Lean In, Sabrina the Teenage Witch) has written the provocative and insightful narration.
This captivating film spotlights some of the most extraordinary stuntwomen of our time and skillfully weaves personal interviews with a treasure trove of archival materials, including rare onset footage and photos. Among the pioneers and rising stunt performers interviewed include Jeannie Epper (Wonder Woman, Charlie’s Angels), Julie Ann Johnson (Caprice, Charlie’s Angels), Jadie David (Foxy Brown, Escape from L.A.), Donna Evans (Total Recall, The Italian Job), Debbie Evans (The Fast and the Furious, The Matrix Reloaded), Donna Keegan (True Lies, Scarface), Amy Johnston (Captain America: Winter Soldier, Suicide Squad), Alyma Dorsey (Captain Marvel, Birds of Prey), Heidi Moneymaker (Black Widow, Captain America: Civil War), Keisha Tucker (Black Panther, Birds of Prey), Jessie Graff (Wonder Woman, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Angela Meryl (Kill Bill Vol. 1, Skyfall), Cheryl Lewis (Orange is the New Black, Luke Cage), Jennifer Caputo (Jason Bourne, The Amazing Spider-Man), Kelly Roisin (Venom, Ant-Man), Deven McNair (Green Lantern, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), among many notables. The film also features original song, “Without A Net” written by Academy Award® nominee Diane Warren and performed by Mickey Guyton.
STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY is directed by April Wright and produced by Stephanie Austin, Michael Gruskoff, and Marion Rosenberg; narration written by Nell Scovell; executive producers Michelle Rodriguez, Alex Hamilton, Jay Strommen, Larry Nealy, Robert Hickman, Lynwood Spinks, Ryan Bury, James Andrew Felts; associate producers, Daniel Pour and Deborah Miller; cinematographer, Svetlana Cvetko; editor, Jonathan P. Shaw; executive music producer, Bonnie Greenberg; composer, Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum. A production of Gruskoff Films, Neasden Productions, Beachwood Productions, Inc., JBird Entertainment, and Cheshire Kat Productions, Inc. in association with Motion Picture Exchange.
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
