There's always a strange fascination when a film slips from the hands of one Hollywood titan and lands in the lap of a relative newcomer. That's exactly what's happening with Fast & Loose, the Will Smith–led thriller at Netflix. Michael Bay—yes, the king of pyrotechnic mayhem—walked away in early August over creative differences, leaving the project in limbo. Now Deadline confirms that John Swab, the filmmaker behind the Venice 2024 crime drama King Ivory, has been chosen to take the reins.
The shift isn't just a trade of names. It's a seismic tonal reset. Bay reportedly pushed for pure action spectacle, while Smith leaned toward a comedy-tinged thriller. Enter Swab, a director whose work swims in grit, subcultures, and human wreckage—his breakout King Ivory (premiered September 2024 at the 81st Venice International Film Festival) traced the opioid epidemic with blunt intimacy. His earlier Candy Land was a midnight-movie bloodbath that earned cult buzz after its world premiere at the 74th Locarno Film Festival.
So what does a filmmaker who thrives on the grotesque and the marginalized do with a slick Netflix star vehicle? That's the curiosity. Fast & Loose follows a man waking up in Tijuana with amnesia, piecing together a past split between crime boss and undercover CIA agent. It's a premise that could collapse under clichés—or find new life if Swab injects the raw, abrasive textures he's known for. Gorgeous. Grating. Gorgeous again.
Behind the camera, the project carries heavyweight producers: Jerry Bruckheimer (reuniting with Smith after Bad Boys), Chad Oman, Adam Fishbach, and the 87North duo David Leitch and Kelly McCormick. The script is credited to Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Eric Pearson, and Dave Callaham—names that have shaped blockbuster DNA from Red to Shang-Chi. The film is still aiming to shoot this fall, with Smith himself producing via Westbrook Studios.
Meanwhile, Bay isn't licking wounds—he's chasing his own obsessions, including a film adaptation of Sega's OutRun arcade classic and yet another spin on Transformers. Say what you will, the man never slows down.
What's fascinating about Swab's appointment isn't just the David-vs-Goliath optics, but what it signals about Netflix's appetite for risk. Rather than recycle another journeyman studio hand, they've bet on a filmmaker with indie credibility, Venice clout, and a flair for uncomfortable truths. Whether that translates to a mainstream hit is anyone's guess. But it's a bet worth watching.
What You Should Know About Fast & Loose
John Swab is in. The King Ivory director replaces Michael Bay after Bay's August 2025 exit.
Venice credibility matters. Swab's King Ivory world-premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in September 2024 to critical acclaim.
Tone was the battle. Bay wanted bombast, Smith wanted levity. Swab apparently found the middle ground.
The story is double-edged. Will Smith plays a man with dual identities—crime kingpin and CIA agent—awakening in Tijuana with no memory.
Production is moving fast. Shooting is still planned for Fall 2025, with a powerhouse team of producers led by Bruckheimer and Smith.
Honestly, this is one of those moves that feels less like studio compromise and more like a gamble with teeth. Swab isn't Bay. Thank God. He's raw, a little messy, and maybe exactly what a Netflix thriller with an identity crisis needs.
👉 What do you think—will John Swab sharpen Fast & Loose into something fresh, or is this just another high-concept Netflix blur?
Source: Deadline
