As a seasoned gamer, I’ve seen my fair share of action movies and superhero cameos, but none have left me as impressed as Cali Nelle. This French-born stuntman has been behind some of the most exhilarating scenes in the past decade, doubling for stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, Corey Hawkins, and Yahya Abdul Mateen II. He’s danced with the Guardians, battled Terminators, transformered alongside the Autobots, and even taken on the Dark Knight himself!
As a die-hard gamer, diving into the action-packed world of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” I must say that Blade’s (Wesley Snipes) unexpected return took me by surprise among all the superhero cameos. The “Blade” trilogy from the late ’90s was a cult favorite for many, and Mahershala Ali has been linked to a long-awaited remake that seems perpetually delayed. However, it’s safe to say that even Snipes himself didn’t anticipate this comeback.
Snipes expressed his doubts, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I never thought it could happen. I didn’t believe we could pull it off. I wasn’t sure Marvel or Disney were on board. It just didn’t seem to fit with my understanding, but when an unexpected call came from Ryan Reynolds after 20 years, I knew I had to take the call and find out more. They presented me with an intriguing idea, and when they said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go,’ if I was in, they were too. And here we are.”
Despite being keen to work alongside Ryan Reynolds again, who played his co-star in “Blade: Trinity,” there were limitations for Snipes to reprise his role as Blade in the same capacity as he did two decades ago, given his age (he’s now in his 60s). Thus, Cali Nelle was recruited as Snipes’ stunt double, handling all the intense or risky action sequences. Given that “Deadpool & Wolverine” wasn’t her first Marvel production, she seamlessly joined the team.
Cali Nelle has done stunt work for some of the biggest action films of the past decade
Cali Nelle, a French native who started martial arts training as a teenager, focused on Taekwondo and then moved onto parkour and freerunning. He entered the stunt industry in 2014, working on “Guardians of the Galaxy,” marking the start of his successful collaboration with Marvel Studios. Since then, he has stood in for some of Hollywood’s top actors, such as Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” Djimon Hounsou in “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” and “The King’s Man,” Corey Hawkins in “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” and Yahya Abdul Mateen II in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and “The Matrix Revolutions.”
Beyond his multiple character roles, he’s also made a significant impact as a versatile stunt performer across several major film projects during the last ten years. His presence can be seen in various franchises such as “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” “Terminator Genisys,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Men in Black: International,” “The Batman,” and the upcoming “Fast & Furious” film, “Fast X.”
He’s transitioning into a fight coordinator role
While Cali Nelle is widely recognized for his exceptional skills as a stunt performer, earning him the title of best fight at the Taurus World Stunt Awards for his work in “The King’s Man”, it’s important to note that he does much more than just perform stunts on set. In recent times, Nelle has been dividing his time between conventional stunt doubling and exploring fight coordination, a position that requires a great deal of attention. To put it simply, a fight coordinator is responsible for planning and supervising all combat scenes in a movie or TV show. At times, they might work with a choreographer depending on the production’s requirements (such as when a complex martial arts style needs to be executed). They collaborate closely with the stunt coordinator, who manages all action sequences of the film, but ultimately, the fight coordinator is responsible for translating the director’s narrative vision through the use of on-screen fights.
In the year 2022, Nelle took up the position of fight coordinator for the Starz historical drama titled “Becoming Elizabeth.” The following year, he was hired to fulfill this role for both Ridley Scott’s grand production “Napoleon” and the second season of Marvel’s series “Loki.” Despite his ongoing duties as a stunt performer – scheduled to be seen in “Mission: Impossible 8” and “Levon’s Trade” in 2025 – he also has additional fight coordinator positions lined up, with the much-anticipated sequel “Gladiator II” set for release in November 2024.
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2024-08-17 21:00