In celebration of Gemini Man being released on digital media, Screen Rant has received an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip that shows how Will Smith vs Will Smith was brought to life. The concept for the action blockbuster first emerged in 1997. Unfortunately, the project remained stuck in development hell for 20 years. A number of directors were attached over that time, including Tony Scott (Top Gun) and Joe Carnahan (The A-Team). Similarly, various A-list stars were set to sign on and headline the project - including Harrison Ford, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Cruise. With none of those plans coming to fruition, however, the rights to Gemini Man was purchased by Skydance Media in 2016. Soon after, in 2017, Brokeback Mountain’s Ang Lee was confirmed as director.
Gemini Man tells the story of Henry Brogan, an aging and disillusioned assassin. After a botched mission, Henry decides to retire from the Defense Intelligence Agency, a government organization for which he worked. Unfortunately, with secrets emerging, Henry finds himself targetted for assassination. In a unique twist, however, the agent chosen to eliminate Henry turns out to be a cloned version of himself. With filming commencing in 2018, it was announced that Smith had landed the dual roles - with the increasingly popular de-aging techniques used to create Henry’s younger self. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Clive Owen also starred as Smith’s ally and the film’s principal villain, respectively.
With Gemini Man set for release on home media, fans can now see what went into creating the unique fight sequences. The behind-the-scenes look will be part of the film’s special features upon release. As narrated by stunt coordinators Brad Martin and JJ Perry, as well as Weta VFX Supervisor Guy Williams, the process is broken down step by step. From the work of the stunt performers to the digital artists, the sheer amount of effort proves almost breathtaking in scope. That goes double for Smith himself - who filmed each side of a fight with a stunt performer and completely solo in order that the crew could get what they needed. Smith would then repeat the process all over again in motion capture. Check out the full clip below:
Unfortunately, Gemini Man failed to resonate at the box office. Not only did it lose out to the widely-praised Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix but Gemini Man has yet to make back its budget. As such, any potential for sequels remains firmly up in the air. Smith has a variety of other more successful projects in the works, though, with a new Bad Boys for Life trailer recently released and a sequel to Netflix’s Bright film still in development. Equally, Winstead will next be seen playing The Huntress in the hotly anticipated Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and Clive Owen is set to play Bill Clinton in American Crime Story season 3.
Despite the underwhelming box office reception, there is still hope for Gemini Man to recoup some of its losses and even be considered more of a moderate success. After all, Gemini Man wouldn’t be the first film to find more of an audience on DVD and the like. Whether or not that ultimately comes to fruition remains to be seen. Whatever the case, however, everybody involved clearly gave their all into producing the admittedly impressive action sequences and special effects. In that regard, it’s easy to see why Gemini Man took so long to get to the screen and why, whatever the view on the film, the crew have earned nothing but respect.
More: What To Expect From Gemini Man 2
Gemini Man arrives on Digital on Monday, December 23 and on Blu-ray January 14, 2020.
Source: Paramount Pictures
