Jay Baruchel is set to star in another fact-based project following his portrayal in Matt Johnson’s acclaimed film BlackBerry, which documented the rise and fall of the iconic smartphone. Titled The Stunt Driver, the film is focused on the daring life of stuntman Ken Carter.
The film reunites Baruchel with director Michael Dowse, with whom he collaborated on the raunchy hockey comedy Goon in 2011. The Stunt Driver delves into the audacious escapades of “The Mad Canadian” Ken Carter as he embarks on the most ambitious stunt of his career in the 1970s—an attempt to jump a rocket-powered car off a 90-foot ramp across the St. Lawrence River, aiming to soar from Canada to the United States. Dowse has described this film as his “white whale project,” exploring Carter’s relentless pursuit of this seemingly impossible feat, along with the outlandish challenges he confronts in the process.
Drawing inspiration from the National Film Board of Canada’s 1981 documentary The Devil at Your Heels, the film is scheduled to begin production in Montreal this spring. The project is being produced by Dowse and Jennifer Wilson under their Cardinal Film banner, along with Macdara Kelleher and Eoin Egan of Wild Atlantic Pictures.
Baruchel, best known for his comedic roles in films like Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, and This Is the End, recently appeared alongside Glenn Howerton and Matt Johnson in BlackBerry, which received glowing reviews following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and subsequent release. In addition, he’s recently joined the cast of the rom-com Mile End Kicks opposite Euphoria's Barbie Ferreira, produced by XYZ Films.
Dowse, who previously helmed comedies such as Stuber and Take Me Home Tonight, as well as streaming projects like 8-Bit Christmas and Coffee & Kareem, has a history of collaborating with Baruchel, including on the FXX series Man Seeking Woman. Dowse's upcoming projects include the action thriller Trap House with Dave Bautista and the Prime Video crime comedy series The Sticky, where he serves as both director and executive producer.