Bloodshot
VIN DIESEL POWERS UP AS THE SUPER-SOLDIER BLOODSHOT, HELL-BENT ON REVENGE IN THE FIRST EVER LIVE-ACTION VALIANT COMICS-BASED FEATURE FILM. DIRECTOR DAVE WILSON TALKS ABOUT HIS THREE-YEAR MISSION TO BRING THE HERO TO LIFE
THE DIRECTOR OF Bloodshot, Dave Wilson – making his feature-directing debut – had one primary goal. To simply make a good film.
“I didn’t want to alienate people who haven’t read the Bloodshot comic books by introducing plot points that could only be appreciated by people who have already been indoctrinated into the universe,” says Wilson, long-time collaborator of Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller, and former creative director at Blur Studio – the animation and visual effects company which Miller co-founded in 1995. “I didn’t want to risk alienating people who will be taking their first step into the Valiant universe when they see this film.”
In Bloodshot, Vin Diesel plays United States Marine Ray Garrison, who, as the film opens, is murdered, along with his wife. But after his supposed death, Ray’s body is consigned to a mysterious corporation called Rising Spirit Technologies, a biotech weapons contractor that operates in a top secret facility. He’s then resurrected through the use of nanotechnology and transformed into an unstoppable killing machine called Bloodshot. While Ray is being trained to become a super-soldier, he’s unable to recall accurate memories of his former life. When these memories return, he seeks to escape the facility and have revenge against the man who killed him and his wife.
The primary theme of Bloodshot is that of manipulation, both in terms of Ray’s body and mind. “Bloodshot is about a hero who doesn’t know if he’s a hero or not, because he doesn’t know who he is and what’s happened to him,” says Wilson. “When the memories come back, he’s not sure if they’re real or a result of him being further manipulated by the corporation.”
REMEMBER, REMEMBER…
Wilson refers to the pervasiveness of technology and how this feeds into the manipulative quality of the protagonists’ memories. “Bloodshot is right on point for the year 2020 because it shows how we’re increasingly losing control over technology, being overtaken by it, which is increasingly running our lives,” he says. “We’re being manipulated by technology, which was intended to serve us, not dominate our lives. The most interesting part of making this was combining the technology – which feels very achievable and real at this point in history – with the manipulative memory game that Rising Spirit is playing with Ray.”
Wilson is a long-time fan of the sci-fi genre, particularly ‘science fact’ fiction – as he calls it – represented by such futuristic-based writers as Michael Crichton and Daniel Suarez. “What I love about those writers, as well as Isaac Asimov and William Gibson, is that they combine the authenticity of everyday reality with the wonderment of their imaginative concepts, which is exactly the type of feeling that I wanted to bring to Bloodshot,” he says.
The star of Memento, Guy Pearce, plays Dr. Emil Harting, RST’s lead scientist – who, early in the film, bluntly and coldly tells the recently reborn Bloodshot that he was killed. “Guy’s
character is an example of a villain who is the hero of his own story,” says Wilson. “He’s a brilliant scientist in charge of a top secret, government-funded facility, which has been tasked with bringing soldiers back to life and then transforming them into killing machines.
“He believes in what he’s doing, and Ray’s the first successful subject that he’s managed to resurrect and transform into a super-soldier. At RST, Guy’s character is pushing the limits of human capacity, experimenting with artificial implants, exoskeletons and trans-humanism. There are good applications for all of these avenues, but also bad ones. He believes that if Ray, one soldier, has to be sacrificed to save thousands of lives, it’s a fair price to pay. For Ray, the goal of escaping the facility directly intersects with his quest to avenge his wife’s murder.”
While RST maintains control over Ray’s memories and thoughts, Ray discovers that he has an army of nanotechnology in his veins, which has imbued him with a stunning array of new abilities, including near-instant healing and superhuman strength. Wilson explains the approach that they took to the look of Diesel’s character, given the radical physiological changes that the character experiences. “Bloodshot’s appearance in the film is true to the comic books, in terms of his pale skin and his eyes and chest, which are both red,” says Wilson. “His look and powers are virtually the same, though we decided to hold back some of the powers from the comic books, which could be explored in future films.”
Wilson was drawn to the Bloodshot mythology because of how grounded the universe is in terms of providing a logical explanation for the physical and mental transformation that Ray undergoes. “He’s pale like a ghost in the film because of the nanites in Ray’s blood, which have completely manipulated his body,” says Wilson. “If someone tells you that you look like a ghost or you look like you saw a ghost, they’re referencing the fact that your blood is running away from your skin to supply oxygen to the rest of your body, and that’s what happens in the film. When you’re afraid or under great stress, the fight-or-flight sensation kicks in, and blood flows into your muscles, so that you can respond forcefully to a given stressful situation. With Bloodshot, the nanites are supercharging him, which is represented in his appearance. There’s a logical, psychological explanation for everything that happens to Ray.”
A VALIANT EFFORT
Wilson believes that Diesel’s physicality, combined with his affinity for building and inhabiting expansive cinematic worlds, made him the ideal choice to play the title role. “Vin is the type of actor who is constantly looking to expand the worlds that he’s placed inside of, which we’ve seen him do with the Fast And Furious and XXX films, as well as the Pitch Black films,” says Wilson.
“Vin was always at least one step ahead of the villains in those films. However, in playing Ray Garrison, Vin is a few steps behind the villains, which was a welcome change of pace for him. In this film, Vin is an alpha-male figure but also plays a character who has been completely manipulated, in terms of his body and memories. He’s struggling to discover who he is and what happened to him, and must look for ways to gain control over those who have manipulated him.”
Lest people have the impression that Bloodshot is completely rooted in character, cutting-edge technology and psychology, Wilson promises that it also delivers as an action flick. “All of the concepts that are introduced in the film are contained within an entertaining superhero action film,” says Wilson. “This is an aggressive action film. I think my main stylistic influence was the films of Tony Scott, who always pushed the envelope in terms of action sequences and striking visuals. Scott’s films never felt produced, and they never looked bland or bleak but were instead colourful and vibrant, which is how I would describe the look. Die Hard, Memento, Total Recall, along with many of Scott’s films, influenced the scaffolding that went into the design and making of this film.”
Wilson believes that Bloodshot is a superhero movie that clearly stands apart from its DC and Marvel counterparts. “I think that it’s the grounding aspect that makes the Valiant universe unique,” says Wilson. “This film is so grounded in technology, which I think is much more achievable and plausible than the technology that’s been introduced in the DC and Marvel universes.”
And while Wilson is reluctant to look too far into the future, he can’t help but be excited at the thought of what could come next, should Bloodshot prove to be successful. “I would definitely love to direct another Bloodshot film,” he says. “There’s so much in the Bloodshot universe that remains to be explored, and because the Valiant universe is so interconnected, the possibilities are endless and exciting, both in terms of future Bloodshot films and other Valiant projects that could spin out of this one.
“However, I know that everything is riding on this one, and after spending three years working on it, living with it day and night, it’s hard for me to look beyond this film. Right now, thinking about future films is like thinking about your second child before the first one has been born!”
Bloodshot is in cinemas from 13 March.
After spending three years working on it, it’s hard for me to look beyond this film