Like the world, heroes also change.
In early May, St. We were on a movie set in Sestroretsk, near St. Petersburg. Despite the sunny weather, it is windy and cold outside, which does not affect the mood of the players at all. The new installment of the film series from Bubble Studios and Studio Plus promises to surprise the audience after its premiere, but now – at the stage of shooting – surprises the lead actors.
Screen partners Tikhon Zhiznevsky and Alexander Seteykin unanimously declare that the scale of shooting, locations, staging of action scenes and the work of all departments on the set exceeded their wildest expectations.
“The locations in the movie are better than we imagined. When you read the script, something incredible seems to be waiting for you, and then you come to the site and the view is even cooler, ”Seteykin admits.
The actor’s enthusiasm for the shooting process associates him with his own hero – intern Dima Dubin, who often remains in the shadow of Grom. At the same time, Alexander notes that in the new episode of the series, Dubin has noticeably changed, he has grown without losing his youthful admiration for the profession.
Reflecting on his character, Seteykin also admits that Dubin won’t mind if Thunder turns from ally to rival in the future (similar to the evolution of the relationship between Batman and Robin).
“Of course, I would like to play the enemy. It seems to me that there is nothing sweeter for an actress. This is really interesting. But considering that my character’s forward curve has been recorded for a long time, I don’t think it would be possible to play a villain with Dima Dubin. But the challenge has been accepted.”
Viewers will also see the character of Tikhon Zhiznevsky in a new way, who is also pleased with Grom’s inner transformation. These qualities of the hero, which were stated quite simply in the first chapter, gain a new volume and depth in the sequel. The game takes place one year after Grom defeats the Plague Doctor and becomes a local superstar. The humble major will have to pass the test of victory, for which he did not seek and was not ready.
“This character evolves with me. In the first episode, it seemed to me that my hero was a small stool. In this film, it becomes more voluminous and human, acquires new character colors, ”says Zhiznevsky.
At the same time, Grom is still largely conservative and reactionary. These features of his personality are very important in the “Game”, whose events develop around the conflict between the modern and the archaic.
“Everything is changing and it is evolving. In the first movie, Thunder was just in the beginning of its formation. And as long as we shoot, all internal evolution will go its way. “Because nobody was immediately interested in making an ideal superhero for us,” said franchise producer and screenwriter Artem Gabrelyanov.
Music, which is responsible for the original atmosphere and recognizable background of the series, is again of great importance to the franchise world.
“We are always trying to add some new artists as well as old, well-known hits, but with a new sound. We will follow the same tactics in this movie. In the “Plague Doctor” there was Choi, in the “Hard Childhood” – Alla Pugacheva. In this episode, we will also surprise, ”Gabrelyanov shared.
New heroes and villains
In the upcoming episode of the franchise, the cast of the roles of new heroes and villains has been replenished. Police lieutenant general Maria Arkhipova was played by Olga Sutulova. The actress tried on an unusual image for herself – she turned from burning brown-haired Sutulova into a sunny blonde.
Talking about what kind of music could best reveal the inner world of the seemingly fragile Arkhipova, Sutulova unexpectedly named her Rammstein. Discussing whether her acting has changed due to the grotesque and deliberately unnecessary style of the movie comics, Sutulova responded in the affirmative.
“Of course, the comic book universe suggests a completely different way of being an actor in the frame. Here, deliberate exaggeration and exaggeration are not only allowed but even encouraged. But finding the right balance is still important,” he admitted.
The clash of progress and conservatism will be reflected in Grom’s confrontation with the new protagonist of the series, gunsmith and tech genius August van der Holt, played by Matvey Lykov, a famous former model. The 50 most popular male models in the world, who graduated from the international school of cinema and television in Paris and starred in the famous video of the artist Woodkid for the song “I Love You” in 2013).
Holt is a Dutchman of Japanese descent who has an army direction and Otto’s mysterious bodyguard (played by Andrey Trushin). It is the hero of Lykov, who brought special robots to St. Petersburg, where the local authority wanted to modernize the police and simplify the work of law enforcement agencies. We watched the filming of the scene where technical innovations were shown on the territory of the old arms factory building from the time of Peter I. Thunder that avoids technical progress, does not share bureaucratic enthusiasm and strives with all his might. Block Holt and his robots.
Dreaming of who else could join the Thunder movie universe, Zhiznevsky admits that the appearance of Ivan Yankovsky in the project could greatly affect the further development of the series.
At the same time, he considers the actor a positive hero: “Ivan Filippovich is an absolutely synthetic artist and can play anyone. I think he’d be more used to playing some kind of villain. But it seems to me that he would best play a very positive and bright superhero.
Unique action
An international team is responsible for the stunts and action shots in The Game: action-scene director Robert Kuhn, who also directed the Kazakhstan studio Kun-do, and Russian stuntman and actor Maxim Yakovlev (Storm, 1703).
“The stunts are dangerous but done by real stuntmen without the use of CGI. Each action hero has a personality and a unique personality, which is reflected in the way they act during their performances. This is especially evident in the contrast of Grom and how his enemies fight, for whom we find special flexibility and movement choreography, ”said Yakovlev.
One of the most interesting and difficult to stage scenes in the movie, Yakovlev plays in St. He calls the episode filmed in St. Petersburg “The Crosses”. This scene featured another new character from the MCU – the character of stand-up comedian Evgeny Chebatkov, changed beyond recognition.
The episode features a massive prisoner fight involving about 70 professional stuntmen and extras.
“It was a very precisely rehearsed and verified scene where everyone clearly knew when and what they were doing. Because of the nature of the shooting, it was impossible to hide anything from the audience in the movements of the actors or stuntmen. I can say it was made of jewelry. And overall, what’s in the Playset is top notch. We can say that this is the first time we use tricks that have not been done in domestic cinema before, ”Yakovlev summarized Yakovlev.