Introduction

Ambulance is an upcoming American action thriller film directed and produced by Michael Bay.

A co-production between New Republic Pictures, Endeavor Content, Project X Entertainment, and Bay Films, it is based on the 2005 Danish film of the same name by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen.

The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza González and follows two adoptive siblings turned bank robbers who steal an ambulance occupied by a paramedic and a police officer in critical condition.

Outline

William Sharp is a war veteran who desperately needs $231,000 for his wife’s surgery. He reaches out to Danny, his adoptive brother and a life-long criminal, who talks him into taking part in a $32 million bank heist. The robbery goes wrong when they shoot an LAPD officer. The pair are soon on the run in an ambulance with an EMT and the dying officer as their hostages.

Cast

• Jake Gyllenhaal as Danny Sharp.
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as William Sharp.
• Eiza González as Cam Thompson.
• Garret Dillahunt.
• A Martinez.
• Keir O’Donnell.
• Moses Ingram.
• Wale Folarin.
• Cedric Sanders.
• Jackson White.
• Colin Woodell.
• Olivia Stambouliah.
• Jesse Garcia.
• Victor Gojcaj as Victor.
• Remi Adeleke.
• Devan Chandler Long as William Wallace.
• Sheila Houlahan.
• Devan Long.
• Chelsea Harris.

Production

Development

Ambulance is an American remake of the 2005 Danish film of the same name. The film was announced on 28 August 2015, with Phillip Noyce attached to direct from a script written by Chris Fedak. Two years later, it was reported that Noyce had left the project and had been replaced by directing duo Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshales. However, the film never entered production. On 11 November 2020, Michael Bay was announced as the new director, and the film was referred to as a “character-driven project” that would use elements from Speed (1994) and Bad Boys (1995), while moving away from Bay’s normality of “standard explosion-heavy fare.”

Financed by Endeavor Content, and produced by New Republic Pictures and Project X, the film was announced with Jake Gyllenhaal and Dylan O’Brien joining the cast as two brothers who steal an occupied ambulance, with Eiza González in negotiations to star as the paramedic. On 11 December 2020, Universal Pictures confirmed that they would distribute the film and announced O’Brien had left the film due to scheduling conflicts; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as his replacement when he was able to fit the film into his schedule, following a production delay on the superhero film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2022). Three days later, González was confirmed to star. Additions to the cast included Garret Dillahunt, A Martinez, Keir O’Donnell, and Moses Ingram in January 2021; Wale Folarin, Cedric Sanders, Jackson White, Colin Woodell, Olivia Stambouliah, Jesse Garcia, Victor Gojcaj, and Remi Adeleke in February; and Devan Chandler Long in May.

Filming

Ambulance began filming in Los Angeles on 11 January 2021, with González being spotted talking to a paramedic for more information on her role and following safety protocols caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as wearing masks on set. On 03 February, González was seen having a discussion in Downtown Los Angeles with Bay on set. Near the end of the month, Bay shared an explosive stunt involving an ambulance on Instagram, in which he was seen on a camera dolly; the stunt was criticised by /Film for endangering several crew members. In March, Gyllenhaal was seen rapidly firing a gun and being involved in a chase sequence with a helicopter. After filming for three months, Stambouliah confirmed that principal photography had concluded on 18 March 2021.

Music

In July 2021, Lorne Balfe, who previously collaborated with Bay on 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) and 6 Underground (2019), announced that he was composing the film’s score. By August, the score was being recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Release

Ambulance is scheduled to be released in the United States by Universal Pictures on 08 April 2022. It will debut in theatres alongside Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The film was originally set to be released on 18 February 2022, coinciding with the release of Uncharted, but was moved forward after Sony postponed Bullet Train from 08 April to 15 July, leaving the time slot open for another film. The film will stream on Peacock 45 days after its theatrical release.

Marketing

The marketing campaign for the film began on 25 August 2021, when an official trailer was shown at CinemaCon. While The Hollywood Reporter compared the footage to Heat (1995) and Training Day (2001), Deadline Hollywood noted that the trailer featured “SWAT teams, guys getting thrown through glass, fast cuts, and the rapid rhythm that Bay does best.” The trailer was released online on 21 October 2021, and received generally positive remarks from viewers. Entertainment Weekly said the film looked like “pure chaos, thanks to a lot of quick camera cuts, loads of gunfire, a high-speed ambulance chase, and Jake Gyllehaal doing the absolute most with his bank robber character.”

Trivia

• Jake Gyllenhaal’s previous movie, The Guilty (2021), is also an American remake of a Danish movie, and Brothers in 2009.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Michael Bay.
• Producer(s):
  • Michael Bay … producer (p.g.a.).
  • Ian Bryce … producer.
  • Rene Ezra … executive producer.
  • Bradley J. Fischer … producer (p.g.a.).
  • Laeta Kalogridis … executive producer.
  • Michael Kase … executive producer.
  • Mark Moran … executive producer.
  • Tracey Nyberg … executive producer.
  • William Sherak … producer.
  • James Vanderbilt … producer.
• Writer(s):
  • Chris Fedak … (screenplay).
  • Laurits Munch-Petersen … (story and original screenplay).
  • Lars Andreas Pedersen … (original screenplay).
• Music:
  • Lorne Balfe.
• Cinematography:
  • Roberto De Angelis … director of photography.
• Editor(s):
  • Pietro Scalia.
• Production:
  • Universal Pictures (presents).
  • Bay Films.
  • Endeavor Content.
  • New Republic Pictures.
  • Project X Entertainment.
• Distributor(s):
  • Universal Pictures (2022) (USA) (theatrical).
  • United International Pictures (UIP) (2022) (Argentina) (theatrical) (through).
  • United International Pictures (UIP) (2022) (Singapore) (theatrical).
  • Universal Pictures Argentina (2022) (Argentina) (theatrical) (through United International Pictures).
  • Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2022) (Netherlands) (theatrical).
  • Starz! (2022) (USA) (TV).
• Release Date: 17 February 2022 (Argentina), 25 March 2022 (UK), and 08 April 2022 (US).
• Rating: R.
• Running Time: 90 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

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