6 Underground is Michael Bay’s latest blockbuster, starring an ensemble cast led by Ryan Reynolds. Like many of Bay’s other films, it is a big-budget no-brainer with a lot of car chases, explosions, and a mind-numbing plot. It didn’t draw serious critical acclaim but was popular among audiences on Netflix, the platform where it was released. The film deals with a set of six vigilantes with special skills and erased identities, who try to save the world from dictators, drug dealers, and other tyrants. This feels like Michael Bay created his own Avengers!
Made on a budget of $150 million, making this film was a Herculean task. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about the making of 6 Underground.
First Netflix Outing For Michael Bay
Michael Bay’s movies never seem to be made for the critics, but earn big bucks at the box office. Films like the Transformers series (at least the ones with Shia LaBeouf) and Armageddon made for good popcorn-munching sessions at the theatres. The massive set pieces, sound editing, and visual effects add to this movie-watching experience.
But with 6 Underground, he tried to tap into Netflix’s potential. This doesn’t come as a surprise as Netflix has become a domain where more and more directors are putting out their movies, like Martin Scorcese, Alfonso Cuarón, and Bong Joon-ho. Of course, Bay is of a different category altogether if compared with these directors.
It was almost a covert ‘Thundercats’ movie
ThunderCats has been one of Cartoon Network’s most iconic animated series, spawning a comic book franchise and a line of action figures. But talks around a ThunderCats movie never saw the light of the day until Michael Bay once suggested that he has interest in developing one. However, a rumor spread by a “reliable” source (the same source which told that Simon Pegg would appear in a cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) that 6 Underground is the working title of a secret ThunderCats project by Michael Bay and that Deadpool’s screenwriters would be involved.
The rumor spread like wildfire leading to mixed responses by fans on the possibility of a gritty take on the cat-like humanoid aliens, with Bay’s level of over-the-top action. But later as we saw, this was not true. 6 Underground screenwriter Rhett Reese shot down all the rumors with a single tweet reading “No.”
The Movie shares locations with Furious 7
Remember that unrealistically crazy yet awesome scene from Furious 7 when a car jumps between three towers in mid-air? Yes, that one. The towers featured in the scene are the Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, along with the Emirates Palace Hotel.
The buildings and its structures like casinos and bars are featured prominently in 6 Underground, especially in the scene where the dictator Rovach is driven away in haste and his brother comes in. The setting is mostly featured as structures from the fictional nation of Turgistan.
Abu Dhabi plays the role of Las Vegas and Hong Kong
As mentioned before, many scenes set in Turgistan were actually in Abu Dhabi. But even scenes that are set in Vegas and Hong Kong were shot in the buildings of the city.
ADGM Square and Reem Island were used as locations for a Hong Kong rooftop in major action sequences of the movie. The conference center of the Etihad Towers doubled as Las Vegas casinos. The cities of Abu Dhabi are surely versatile!
Ryan Reynold’s Instagram Post features in the film
In 2018, Ryan Reynolds posted an ironic video on his Instagram, in which the actor can be heard referring to Michael Bay’s movies as “quiet.” And right then, a car explodes in the background. It turns out that this was recorded during filming.
The scene can even be sighted in the actual movie during a car crash at the start, with Reynolds in the background recording the same video.
Netflix’s Second Most Expensive Project
Even though Michael Bay didn’t target the big screens this time, a lot of money was put into this film. 6 Underground was the most expensive Netflix film ever made at $150 million during the time of its release. One would expect this scale of films with a popular cast, foreign locations, costly cars, and exploding the costly cars!
The record was soon taken over a few weeks later though with Martin Scorcese’s gangster epic The Irishman, which had a budget of $175 million. That remains Netflix’s most expensive movie.
The opening car chase was to be filmed in Rome instead of Florence
The prolonged, fast-paced opening car chase sequence is filmed in the Italian city of Florence. Tourists are stunned and museums are raided by fast cars but this scene was to be initially shot at Rome. So why didn’t Bay’s crew have an action-packed “Roman Holiday” there?
The filmmakers felt that Rome would not be a good fit for the car chase as its roads are filled with potholes. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” but Michael Bay’s cars don’t follow that rule.
The UAE Military was a part of the crew
While shooting in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s military proved to be very supportive. They even provided soldiers who stood in as extras and provided aircraft for the film.
“I’ve shot a lot of military stuff with Michael, but I never had the ability to have six Apaches, 10 Black Hawks, and soldiers.” Jeffrey Beecroft said jokingly, who serves as the production designer for the film.
Storror choreographed the Parkour scenes
Storror is a British crew of free runners and parkour artists, who are famous for promoting their art through their YouTube videos and two documentaries. Ben Hardy’s character Three, similarly has a few scenes jumping and prancing around monuments in Florence.
Michael Bay sought Storror’s help in choreographing and performing these scenes. He has apparently been a big fan of their work through their YouTube channel itself.
A Billionaire’s Superyacht was used
The yacht in which the team usually assembles in the movie was taken out on rent from its owner Shahid Khan. Khan is a Pakistani-American billionaire who owns an American automobile manufacturer called Flex-N-Gate, and the NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars.
Built in 2014, the superyacht called Kismet has a deck of black marble and is furnished with facilities that are equivalent to a 5-star hotel. One can only wonder how much money went in just for renting this boat!
