….
May 20, 2014
The sun hadn't fully risen over the Kansas farmland, but the first schedule of the [Superman] production was already in motion.
Regal stood beside the camera monitor, watching the first official shot of principal photography come together.
Around him, the crew moved with practiced efficiency, grip teams adjusting reflectors, costume standing by with backup wardrobe, Leo Martinez checking light meters for the third time.
Henry Cavill sat on the porch of the Kent family farmhouse, dressed in worn jeans and a faded flannel shirt.
The costume made him look younger somehow, more vulnerable - this was Clark before the suit, before the symbol, just a man trying to figure out what he owed the world.
"How is it sitting with you?" Regal asked, approaching the porch.
Henry glanced over. "Honestly? It's strange. Three months of training, rehearsing, living in Clark's head… and suddenly we are here. It feels unreal."
"That's the job." Regal replied. "Months of prep for a few minutes that actually make it onto the screen." Regal checked his watch. "We have got about twenty minutes of good morning light. Let's make it count."
The scene was simple, young Clark sitting alone at dawn, watching the sunrise over wheat fields that stretched to the horizon. No dialogue, just a quiet moment of contemplation before the day's responsibilities began. It would serve as a visual bridge between childhood flashbacks and present-day narrative.
"Picture's up!" the first assistant director called.
The set fell silent. Regal moved back to the monitors, settling into his director's chair. Leo stood beside him, one hand on the camera operator's shoulder, ready to make minute adjustments.
"Roll sound."
"Sound speed."
"Roll camera."
"Camera rolling."
"Marker."
The slate clapped. Henry's posture shifted subtly, he was Clark now, not Henry.
"Action."
Henry sat motionless, his gaze fixed on the horizon where golden light was beginning to spill across the fields.
But his stillness wasn't empty, there was weight to it, the sense of someone carrying questions too large for easy answers.
Thirty seconds passed. Henry's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. His fingers curled slightly against the porch railing. Small movements, but they told a story: loneliness, purpose, isolation, and determination.
"Cut." Regal said quietly. "We have got it. Check the gate."
Leo conferred with the camera operator, then gave a thumbs up. "Gate's good."
"Moving on." Regal announced.
The crew erupted into controlled chaos, already breaking down the setup to move to the next location. This was the rhythm of production, moments of intense focus followed by organized movement, repeated dozens of times per day.
Darren appeared at Regal's elbow with a tablet. "We are thirty minutes ahead of schedule. If we maintain this pace, we can add the barn interior scene this afternoon."
"Let's not get cocky on day one." Regal said, but he was smiling. "Still, good start."
….
Across the country in Vancouver, Ryan Reynolds stood on a freeway overpass wearing the full Deadpool suit, staring down at the controlled chaos below.
They would shut down a section of the Georgia Viaduct for the opening sequence - the freeway fight that would throw audiences directly into Deadpool's world.
"This is downright ridiculous as always." Reynolds muttered through the mask to Shawn Levy, who stood beside him reviewing the shot list.
"You are the one who kept insisting, 'that's the charm'." Shawn reminded him, flipping a page on the shot list. "So no complaining now. We open with you sitting up here, legs dangling over the edge, talking to the camera about how you ended up here. Then you see your target in the convoy below, and—"
"I swan-dive off a freeway overpass onto a moving truck while cracking jokes about how cheap we are." Reynolds finished. "Beautiful. Art, even."
The stunt coordinator, Marcus Williams, joined them. "Ryan, we are ready for the wire test. Just want to make sure the rig feels comfortable before we commit to the actual jump."
Reynolds walked to where the crew had set up the wire system. The harness was already attached under his suit - uncomfortable as hell, but invisible to the camera. Two safety riggers stood ready to control his descent.
"Remember." Marcus said. "You jump, we control the fall. Your job is to look like you meant to do it. Cocky, casual, like this is just another Tuesday."
"Casual free fall. Got it."
They ran the test three times. The first was awkward - Reynolds tensed up, making the wire work visible. The second was better. By the third, he'd found the looseness that made it look natural.
"There he is." Shawn called from the monitor. "The menace himself. One more time with cameras rolling."
"Action!"
Reynolds jumped, his body loose and controlled as the wires guided his descent. Mid-fall, he threw a casual salute toward the camera that was tracking his movement.
"Cut! Perfect!" Shawn was grinning. "That salute was inspired."
"Seemed like something Wade would do." Reynolds pulled himself upright as the riggers adjusted the wires. "Mock death itself on the way to probably dying."
Shawn checked his watch. "We have got the overpass for six more hours. Let's get the dialogue shots while we have the light."
They reset for the opening monologue - Deadpool sitting on the edge of the overpass, legs dangling, speaking directly to camera while cars rushed by below.
Reynolds settled into position, and even through the mask, his entire energy shifted. He was Wade now.
"Roll sound."
"Speed."
"Action."
Reynolds turned to face the camera, head tilting slightly. "You're probably thinking, 'This is a superhero movie, but that guy in the red suit just turned toward the camera and acknowledged my existence. Weird.' And you're right. It is weird. But here's the thing - I am not a hero. I am not even sure I am the good guy. I am just a guy who got dealt a really shitty hand and decided to make the dealer pay."
He paused, then gestured to the convoy below.
"See that motorcycle down there? The one weaving through traffic like it's playing Frogger? That's my ride. Well, more accurately, I am about to make it my ride by jumping off this overpass like a discount Batman. Except Batman has money. I have student loans and a costume that makes me look like a walking testicle."
Shawn was trying not to laugh behind the monitor. "Cut. Ryan, that line definitely wasn't in the script."
"I am aware." Reynolds said. "It just came out."
"Fair. Do it again, keep that energy."
They ran the monologue five more times, Reynolds improvising different jokes with each take. By the final version, they had gold - a scene that established tone, character, and the film's meta-awareness in under two minutes.
"That's a wrap on the overpass!" the first AD called. "Moving to vehicle setup!"
….
June 16, 2014.
Two weeks had passed, and the production of [Superman] had just begun, while [Deadpool] was on its second schedule.
On the other hand, Alexander found himself in a converted warehouse with Keanu, the legendary martial arts coordinator Yuen Woo-ping, and an interpreter named Chen.
Getting Yuen on board had been Alexander's hardest negotiation yet.
The choreographer had initially declined the offer, not because of the script - which he found intriguing - but because of the language barrier.
Yuen was self-conscious about his English skills and feared he couldn't effectively communicate the nuance of his art to Western actors.
Alexander had only secured him by agreeing to a non-negotiable condition: Yuen would have absolute, unchecked creative control over the fight choreography and the training regimen.
"Show me stance." Yuen said. The words were heavily accented and careful, the limit of his comfort zone.
Keanu moved into a basic Kung Fu position he had been practicing. His form was decent but clearly amateur. Yuen circled him slowly, his face unreadable.
He didn't speak to Keanu directly; instead, he tapped Keanu's knee with a bamboo stick, barking a rapid string of Cantonese to Chen.
"Master Yuen says your center is too high." Chen translated instantly. "You are fighting gravity. In this world, the Matrix, gravity is a suggestion, not a rule. Your movement must be lighter."
Yuen stepped in, demonstrating the proper stance with fluid precision despite being in his sixties. He physically adjusted Keanu's shoulders, pushing them down firmly.
For the next three hours, the warehouse echoed with Yuen's shouts in Cantonese and Chen's immediate translations.
Yuen put Keanu through the most basic forms, over and over again. The actor's dedication was evident in his focus, the way he absorbed the physical corrections without complaint and repeated movements until they became natural.
Alexander watched from the side, filming reference footage on his phone.
This was going to work. He could see it already - the way Keanu's natural grace was being stripped down and rebuilt into something lethal.
Yuen took a sip of water and answered through Chen. "He's green, but he's teachable. That's better than skill without discipline."
"Do you think he will be ready in time?" Alexander asked.
Yuen spoke to Chen, his expression stern. The interpreter turned to Alexander–
"Master Yuen says four months will do." Chen translated. "But only if you hold to what you promised, no studio meddling, or executives watering down the choreography. He teaches his way, or he goes back to Hong Kong."
"He has my word." Alexander said, meeting Yuen's gaze. "Total control. I want the Hong Kong style, undiluted."
Yuen nodded, seemingly satisfied. He pulled out his own tablet, showing Alexander some preliminary choreography he'd designed. He pointed to the screen, speaking excitedly in Cantonese now that the business was settled.
"For the lobby scene…." Chen translated as Yuen gestured with sweeping hand motions. "He envisions something operatic. Neo and Trinity moving through space not just as fighters, but as dancers of death."
The footage on the tablet showed wire-assisted flips and spins combined with practical gunplay. It looked impossible and breathtaking.
"Hmm, I am okay with it. It fits my vision." Alexander said. "But can we add more bullet time moments here?"
Yuen looked at the frames Alexander pointed out. He mimed the slow-motion movement of a bullet, then nodded vigorously.
"Rhythm." Yuen said in English, tapping his chest. "Like music."
Alexander felt that familiar electricity of collaboration. Despite the language barrier, the visual language they shared was perfectly fluent.
This was what he had learned from watching Regal work: surround yourself with masters, give them the tools they need, and then get out of their way.
By the time they wrapped for the day, Keanu was drenched in sweat, his legs trembling from the horse stance drills.
"It's wild." Keanu said, leaning against a pillar and stretching his shoulders. "I haven't trained like that since... ever, actually. It's… a whole different vocabulary."
"You should probably get used to it. We will be doing this five days a week until production starts. And remember, Yuen runs the show here. If he says jump, you don't ask how high - you just wait for the wire to pull you up."
Alexander said, without an ounce of pity.
Wiredly, he was already used to witnessing this kind of harsh teachings from Ross Oakley when he trained Andrew for Spider-Man.
"Worth it." Keanu grabbed his water bottle, watching Yuen pack up his gear. "I can already feel the difference. He doesn't just teach you how to punch; he teaches you how to stand."
.
….
[To be continued…]
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