David Leitch Shot 'How to Rob a Bank' in 40 Days, Less Than Half the Time of 'The Fall Guy'

Director David Leitch shot How to Rob a Bank in 40 days, less than half the 86 days he spent on The Fall Guy.

Leitch made the comparison in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, given on 5 October in support of the film. He said How to Rob a Bank is half the size of The Fall Guy, and that the production had to move quicker. He described it as a relatively modest undertaking. The Fall Guy, the same report notes, carried an estimated budget of $125 million to $150 million.

The new film is produced and distributed by Amazon MGM and opens in cinemas on 13 November. Its cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Anna Sawai, Pete Davidson, Rhenzy Feliz, John C. Reilly and Christian Slater.

Part of the speed came from a second unit, a smaller crew that films action and close-up inserts while the main team works on other scenes. Leitch called his the "YouTube unit." It was made up mostly of stunt performers, and it shot the masked robbery sequences.

The production also spent money on location. According to the Reporter, it poured nearly $60 million into Pittsburgh's local economy to qualify for a tax incentive, a break that rewards productions for spending money in the area.

Shooting days are expensive. Crew, sets, vehicles and locations are paid for by the day, so a shorter schedule usually means lower costs. A shorter shoot also leaves less room for a film to run over, which is why studios watch the calendar as closely as the budget.

The film opens on 13 November, and its box-office figures will come from its distributor once the first weekend is counted.