The Neon Splatter Interview: Guillaume Pierret for LOST BULLET 3
With LOST BULLET 3 (aka LAST BULLET), writer-director Guillaume Pierret has concluded his Action-saga in epic style. We caught up with Pierret again to talk helicopters, fireworks and Montpellier.
This movie starts with a prologue centred on a villain who previously appeared in the series – Areski. The audience perception shifts to view him as an antihero throughout this movie. Explain this choice to add another protagonist to the story. Was that challenging?
Back when I was developing the script for the first film – in the early drafts – Lino didn’t even exist yet. Areski was actually the main character in LOST BULLET: a cop who loses his service weapon and, when he finds it again, realizes a bullet is missing. He then spends the whole film trying to track it down to avoid being accused of a murder he didn’t commit... So in a way, even if he was an antihero, I never saw him as a one-dimensional bad guy. It all started with him, and I absolutely wanted to revisit things from his perspective. The reason he’s so good at fighting and driving is that, deep down, he shares the same DNA as Lino… Giving him more space in the finale felt more like an obvious choice than a challenge.
Something I really liked about this movie is that there’s more sense of fun. Particularly when we see Lino interact with Sarah and how exciting the reveals are of their car designs. It’s like she is Q to Lino’s James Bond. Julie Tedesco was perfectly cast. Tell us how you cast her, and what made you think to add this ‘team’ element to the ensemble.
LOST BULLET 3 is the first of my films where I worked with a casting director, Nathalie Chéron. She suggested Julie Tedesco for the role of Sarah. She’s a young actress who gave a very convincing audition, and I’m really happy that LOST BULLET 3 marks her film debut. She has this voice, this energy, that I thought was perfect to contrast with Lino. That kind of energy was something we had with Rod Paradot (who played ‘Quentin’, Lino’s younger brother) in the first film. Here, it’s as if Lino finds a kind of surrogate little sister…
I’m still amazed at the scale of the action that you orchestrated this time around. Have the action scenes become more difficult to make going from the first film to this one? Or has it become easier due to the experience you’ve gained? How much did COVID impact the production throughout the film series?
Let’s say the experience we gained on the first two films helped us push our limits even further this time. The communication between departments was seamless, and there was a lot of trust. But it’s clear that the action scenes in this third chapter were much more complex to pull off – I knew that as early as the writing stage. And honestly, that’s exactly what motivates us to make the film!
As for COVID, it had very little impact on our shoots. We had to follow social distancing rules while filming LOST BULLET 2, but that was about it.
I’m always fascinated about how to plan a car chase. Talk us through the stages – does it start with storyboarding? How specific are you when you describe it in the screenplay?
Storyboarding comes quite late in the process and mostly serves as a reference for certain team members. For me, I don’t start writing the script until I already have the action scenes fully imagined in my head! I’ve got their energy, their rhythm, their concept – and then I develop them all the way through to the final edit. Since I handle the editing of the action sequences myself, I try to have the most precise shot breakdowns possible from the beginning. But I also stay flexible during the shoot to adapt quickly and efficiently.
When writing, I try to convey the feeling and the key moments, without going too much into detail – otherwise, it overwhelms the reader.
It looks like you filmed a lot of those car chases in highly populated areas. How many public roads did you close for this film (if you know – if not, no worries)? Do you have any crazy statistics to share (e.g. number of cars demolished)?
It’s impossible to count how many streets we closed, but let’s just say we shut down two city centers – Montpellier and Sète, in the south of France. The logistics behind that were insane, especially in Montpellier, which is far from a small town… Because the scenes we filmed were incredibly dangerous, all the pedestrians you see on screen are actually stunt people.
As for the number of vehicles wrecked – honestly, I lost track! But you can count the ones you see being destroyed on screen, then double that number, and you’ll have a pretty good estimate!
I’m going to ask a cliché question, but I think it’s worth highlighting – how much was practical and in-camera, and how much was computer-generated? Was that a real helicopter with real fireworks? If so, how do you direct a helicopter?
Yes, it was a real helicopter, and most of the fireworks were real too. But as soon as the helicopter was flying low over the road, the explosions had to be done in CGI – for the pilot’s safety.
We had a long stretch of road, and the pilot pretended to dodge explosions. But he was dodging real trees! He followed a kind of “choreography” that we filmed from all possible angles over a five-kilometre stretch. The VFX team was right there with us on set, because we already knew we’d be adding digital effects later. All the departments worked hand-in-hand – it was amazing.
Since the first movie released back in 2020, there’s been a whole barrage of action movies made for streaming platforms. How do you feel about the modern state of the genre? Optimistic? Are there any changes you want to see?
Speaking mainly about France, I do feel like there’s been a revival since the first LOST BULLET. It made a lot of producers want to jump into this space, and that’s great! But I still think we’re lacking directors and screenwriters who genuinely love making this kind of film.
I hope the next generation will feel less self-conscious about working in this genre.
Random question: is there a ‘hidden gem’ of an action film you would recommend? One you think more people need to see?
I’d recommend the French film VINCENT MUST DIE – amazing concept and execution. And also the Belgian action film LA NUIT SE TRAÎNE. Two gems that I think are far too underrated.
Can you reveal anything about what you’re working on next?
I don’t even know myself yet! But I definitely plan to keep going and work again with the whole LOST BULLET 3 team.
I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for creating my favourite modern action franchise. When I was watching your latest movie, I kept thinking to myself that we don’t often see mid-budget action films with this size of production. It’s so unique and I really hope you continue to make movies and entertain us!
That’s the greatest reward of all. And I say that on behalf of the entire team: thank you.
