Director David Leitch has made a name for himself thanks to his portrayal of gritty action in films such as Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw. But with his latest entry, Bullet Train, he's put together an ensemble cast around actor Brad Pitt to bring all of his no-holds-barred action into an enclosed space like a high-speed train. However, one cast member meant to be in the film, Lady Gaga, missed her train.
In the film, Brad Pitt plays an assassin named Ladybug who wants nothing more than to live a more quiet and honorable life. But as these stories go, he has one more job to complete. However, his plans get derailed, and he finds himself on a bullet train with other assassins from his past that want him dead. Many big-name faces are attached to the film, including Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz and Bryan Tyree Henry. But during an interview with Leitch on Entertainment Weekly, he got asked why, of all the names, Lady Gaga was unable to join the cast, and the answer showed how Hollywood magic doesn't always come in handy.
According to Leitch, Gaga couldn't join the film due to her commitments to Ridley Scott's film, House of Gucci. He further explained, "There were short discussions and then, this isn't going to work because she was preparing for the Ridley movie [House of] Gucci. They shot right before us and overlapped with us and it really didn't work." In the end, while it would've been a treat to see the singer/actress in such a unique and stylized film, scheduling became the enemy.
Not long after Gaga lost the role, rumors began to circulate that Sandra Bullock took her place as Ladybug's handler, who placed him on the deadly train in the first place. However, there has been no confirmation, and when Leitch got asked about it, he said he wanted to leave that a mystery. But that cryptic answer added to the fact that Bullet Train clearly has more going on than meets the eye.
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Aside from being a standard action film story about a man trying to leave his deadly lifestyle, Bullet Train has shown that there's more to him and the assassins than what's on the surface. There's not only a larger enemy but an established crime syndicate that has spanned the globe. That could open the door for future sequels and spin-offs that could help further explore this universe. As a result, Lady Gaga's role may have been bigger than just being Brad Pitt's handler. Perhaps her role was for a much larger character now occupied by an actress yet to get revealed.
Bullet Train looks to be yet another bombastic entry by Leitch that will push action and special effects to new limits. But with an all-star cast, vibrant universe and exciting story, there are bound to be more surprises once the film hits theaters. As for Lady Gaga, she may not appear in this film, but there may still be a place for her in the future. Until then, fans will have to continue speculating about the mysterious handler role in Bullet Train.
To see Ladybug's handler, Bullet Train shoots into theaters August 5.
