“Bullet Train” went off with a bang at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Monday.
The first-ever footage from the Brad Pitt action thriller was screened at the annual convention of movie theater owners during an opening night presentation from Sony Pictures.
Directed by “Atomic Blonde” helmer David Leitch, the movie follows five assassins on a high-speed train who realize their assigned targets are related. The footage boasts the aesthetic we’ve come to expect from Leitch: high-contrast glamour with bareknuckle violence.
Anyone thinking this was Pitt’s attempt to slip into a Tom Ford suit and brandish a gun like a typical leading man, rest easy. His character, listed only as “Ladybug,” is a drifter rocking hiking boots and a faded tweed coat on Leitch’s gorgeous and claustrophobic train.
While the ensemble boasts stars like Sandra Bullock, the studio chose to bless the exhibitors with a clip of Pitt and global hip-hop star Bad Bunny. In his first substantive feature film role, the artist also known as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is a formidable opponent for Pitt.
Sporting a white pinstripe suit, killer boots and an edge weapon, Bunny and Pitt slap each other around a luxury cabin on the speeding train. It’s all fun and tussling over a briefcase until someone gets stabbed. The footage also included actor Hiroyuki Sanada as an ominous passenger.
Additional cast includes Joey King, Andrew Koji, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz, Michael Shannon and Logan Lerman.
The project is based on the book “Maria Beetle” by Kōtarō Isaka. “Bullet Train” is produced by Columbia Pictures, 87North Productions and Fuqua Films. Leitch is also taking on a producer role, alongside Antoine Fuqua, Kelly McCormick and Kat Samick.
“Bullet Train” will mark the first film that Bullock and Pitt have appeared in together, and is set for release on April 8, 2022.