Back In Action

Preparation

During pre-production of Netflix blockbuster Back In Action, our marine film services team were appointed as the sole marine coordinators.

This saw our highly regarded River Thames stunt filming team take the lead in producing the action-packed scenes taking place throughout London.

Extensive planning and coordination were absolutely essential to both the success and safety of the shoot. In preparation for filming, we procured a fleet of more than 20 boats, including two lighting barges and all support vessels.

The hero boat was sourced from Cockwells, who we would like to extend a special thanks to.

Livett’s-owned vessels involved in the shoot included:

• Bravo Lima GB (camera boat)
• Dart (lighting barge)
• Echo Lima I (safety boat)
• Equity (lighting boat)
• Indigo Lima (safety boat)
• Romeo Lima (drone filming base)

We secured all required permissions from the Port of London Authority (PLA), the Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA), and other stakeholders. This included several closures of the river, as well as Millennium Bridge and Southwark Bridge.

Preparation for filming also included our marine team teaching one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Cameron Diaz, how to drive a boat!

Filming

Filming itself took place across December 2022 and January 2023, including multiple night shoots in the freezing cold rain and snow.

Stunts included a dangerous motorbike chase on the foreshore of the Thames, stretching from the South Bank all the way down to the Thames Barrier, via our Butler’s Wharf Pier base, ticking off iconic landmarks such as Tower Bridge along the way.

Alongside this was a high-profile river chase. When filming for these scenes reached the Royal Docks, one of the most intricate, ambitious, and dangerous stunts to ever take place there unfolded.

For this particular set piece, the hero boat had to reach high speeds of 40mph+ – incredibly rare for any vessel on London’s waterways.

You can watch amazing behind the scenes footage of Back In Action’s thrilling River Thames stunts here.

We are delighted to say all filming went to plan safely, with the finished stunts looking incredible on screen. Back In Action was released on Netflix in January 2025, with much praise being directed towards the film’s stunt unit – a fantastic crew that we were delighted to be part of.

Ed Livett, Managing Director of Livett’s, said: “Back In Action tasked us with one of the biggest chase sequences ever seen on the River Thames. It was ambitious and spectacular, but we relish challenges like this and love being able to bring such visions to life on the River Thames. Back In Action marked the latest in a growing number of productions we are proud to have collaborated with Netflix on, and we look forward to continuing supporting other productions in the future.”