The explosive action sequence ending the newest Tenet trailer was filmed without CGI, star John David Washington reveals when recalling the “epic” stunt that called for a real plane to crash into a building and explode. Reacting to the action-packed trailer premiered Thursday during a Fortnite-hosted event, Washington says many of the stunts in the trippy Tenet — about a Protagonist (Washington) who uses a tactic referred to as “inversion” in a race through and against time to prevent World War III — were developed specifically for the new sci-fi espionage thriller from Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy filmmaker Christopher Nolan:
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“That was a real plane and that was a real building that they crashed that plane into. And we, cast and crew, all witnessed it. It was epic,” Washington said during the Fortnite live event. “It was incredible. We all cheered and hoorayed and hurrahed when they yelled ‘cut,’ after Chris felt like he got it. So what you saw, it’s really what happened. At least the night I was there.”
Also shown in the trailer were combat sequences developed by stunt coordinator George Cottle, whose stuntwork credits include Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.
“Some of the moves that we were doing, especially those hand-to-hand sequences, and the physicality of it all, some of our stunt guys — George Cottle and company — they’ve never done some of these moves before, they were sort of inventing them for this movie specifically,” Washington said. “So it’s so exciting that we’re going to be able to introduce this new style of fighting, this new style of combat.”
The stunt, described by the character played by Robert Pattinson as just a “little dramatic,” is something that must be “seen in a theater, on a big movie screen,” Washington added.
Washington also noted film fanatics wanting to unravel the mysteries of Tenet before its planned July 17 opening date could examine this newest footage for clues, admitting he’s “surprised” the secretive Nolan sprinkled semi-revealing “breadcrumbs” throughout the film’s latest trailer.
“When you watch the trailer, I highly recommend watching it again and again,” Washington teased. “You’ll get more answers.”
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is an action epic evolving from the world of international espionage. Nolan wrote and directed the film, utilizing a mixture of IMAX® and 70mm film to bring the story to the screen. Tenet was filmed on location across seven countries. The international cast is led by John David Washington and also includes Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, with Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh.
Tenet is scheduled to open only in theaters July 17.
