Havocwriter and director Gareth Evans explains how his upcoming Netflix action movie features Tom Hardy in “f*cking beast mode.” Known for directing action movies likeThe Raid: Redemption(2011) andThe Raid 2(2014), Evans' new movie follows Hardy’s Walker, a detective who must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a kidnapped politician’s son. In addition to Hardy, theHavoccastfeatures Forest Whitaker, Timothy Olyphant, and Luiz Guzmán, with the initial teaser trailer promising that the film will be a violent ride for audiences.
In a recent interview withEmpireahead of theHavocrelease on Netflix on April 25, Evans previews some of what’s to come from the film. The movie will mark a subtle shift away from something likeThe Raid 2in the sense that Evans says, “It was never going to be a martial-arts film." Instead, he explains, “I wanted this to feel like the gunplay stuff that I love watching.” As for Hardy, Evans says that he arrived on set ready for action:
“Tom came to us in f*cking beast mode. I tapped him on the shoulder and it was just like granite. He came fully physically prepared. Walker is not silky-smooth.He’s gonna cause as much carnage and as much mayhem as possible. He’s not grabbing your wrist and turning you into an arm lock. He’s grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and driving your face into the nearest heavy object.”
Evans also previews one sequence inHavocin which enemies besiege a fishing shack, and the fight involves a number of unique weapons, including guns, harpoons, and fishing hooks:
“There’s a sequence in a fishing shack where it’s like an onslaught, a relentless attack. Every corner of this place someone’s going to pop up with a gun, someone’s going to pop up with a knife, and they’re going to come from under the floorboards, around the corners, through this window, through that window."
Check out a new image of Hardy firing a shotgun inHavocbelow:
What Gareth Evans' Tease Means For Havoc
This Is A New Kind Of Tom Hardy Action Movie
Hardy is no stranger to the action genre. In addition to appearing inthreeVenommovies, he’s also appeared in action or action-adjacent flicks likeMad Max: Fury Road(2015),The Dark Knight Rises(2012),Warrior(2011),Inception(2010), andBronson(2008), among others.Havoc, however, looks like it will mark an interesting first for Hardy, making use of his action hero skills like no other movie in his filmography.
Tom Hardy’s New 2025 Movie Finally Gives Netflix The Action Movie It’s Wanted For 7 Years
Tom Hardy’s new movie, Havoc, will be released on Netflix in 2025. This movie could give Netflix the action movie it has wanted for seven years.
Even ifHavocmay not be as martial-arts-oriented as something likeThe Raid 2,the trailer has suggested that it will be a very physically demanding film with plenty of close-quarters brawls. Evans is known for shooting very violent action scenes with wider takes and fewer cuts, relying on trained actors and stunt performers, and complex choreography. Even though Hardy has had plenty of fight scenes in past projects, the fact that Evans is directingHavocmeans it could show Hardy’s raw physicality in a way audiences haven’t seen before.
The Raidenjoys a strong 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the sequel falls just behind it with 83%. Both have Popcornmeter scores of 87%, suggesting strong audience approval.
Our Take On Tom Hardy’s “Beast Mode” In Havoc
Hardy Is No Stranger To Physical Transformations
If there’s one thing that’s true of all Hardy performances, it’s that he truly gives himself over to every role he takes on. ManyHardy moviesinvolve the actor using unique voices or altering his body in some way. To play Bane, for example, Hardy put on thirty pounds of muscle. In order to play a detective who can take down scores of enemies, then,it’s likely that Hardy underwent some trainingto be able to convincingly pull this off inHavoc.
Evans' last project as a director wasApostle(2018), a horror film.Havocwill mark a return to the director’s action movie roots, though he has also directed several episodes of the violentGangs of LondonTV showover the past few years. It’s unclear ifHavocwill end up matchingThe Raidin terms of its violence and intensity, but it’s certainly shaping up to be a standout Hardy movie.
