J.J. Perry's Stunt Oscar Dream: A Killer's Game Director's Unwavering Belief

In the late '80s, J.J. Perry, director of The Killer's Game, moved to Los Angeles after serving in the U.S. Army. He quickly became friends with Chad Stahelski, future co-mastermind of John Wick.

As stuntmen, fight choreographers, and stunt coordinators, the pair cut their teeth. When Stahelski and his former partner, David Leitch, transitioned to directing John Wick, Perry began to envision himself in a similar role.

After John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2 became pop culture phenomenons, Stahelski and Leitch began paying their good fortune forward through their respective companies, 87eleven Entertainment and 87North, so that other stunt professionals could get a crack at one of the most coveted jobs in the entertainment industry.

Concurrently, after serving as the supervising stunt coordinator on John Wick 2, Perry began receiving scripts, including one for what would become his vampire action-comedy, Day Shift, starring Jamie Foxx. He pitched his take to Stahelski, and the duo then delivered the same pitch to Netflix, who bought the idea.

Perry credits Stahelski for shepherding his feature directorial debut, and believes that this current era is the most beneficial time period ever for the stunt community.

[Stahelski] told me the hardest part for people like us isn't directing ... The hardest part is getting the opportunity to do it, because what they're always going to say is, 'But can you tell a story?' Perry tells The Hollywood Reporter. And my response is, 'Am I doing Shakespeare? I'm not trying to win an Oscar, brother. I'm trying to make fun action movies.' So, yeah, this is a great time for second unit directors and stunt performers, and the flood gates are going to open even more.

Perry wasted no time getting back into the director's chair, as 2023's dual strike created an opportunity for Lionsgate to finally adapt the novel The Killer's Game for the big screen after nearly three decades of development.

The romantic action-comedy is about a terminally ill