Warning: SPOILERS for Ghosted!Dexter Fletcher, perhaps best known for character-focused films like Eddie the Eagle and Rocketman, bursts into the action genre with two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Ana de Armas and Chris Evans star in Ghosted, an action-adventure romance that sees Cole (Evans) get unexpectedly caught up in an international espionage crisis. The woman at the center of it: Sadie (de Armas), a girl whom Cole went on one date with before following her all the way to London.
Naturally, things quickly go off the rails and, in an inversion of the roles he typically plays, Evans’ Cole finds himself in the position of damsel in distress, with Sadie coming to the rescue. First, though, they must face a slew of deadly assassins, henchmen, and one very fashionable billionaire (played by Adrien Brody).
Ahead of the premiere of Ghosted on AppleTV+, Screen Rant sat down with Fletcher to discuss the film, including those jaw-dropping cameos, watching Evans sit back and relax, and more.
Dexter Fletcher on Ghosted
Screen Rant: Ghosted is your first big action movie as a director. What was it like to step into this genre after spending a lot of time on character-focused pieces like Rocket Man and Eddie the Eagle?
Dexter Fletcher: I kind of applied the same kind of ethos, really. I want you to make sure that the characters were as genuine as possible. And the story we were telling about these two people trying to find love, because it’s a romance essentially, that that stayed authentic.
But the action was something that I’ve been dying to do for a long time, ever since I watched films back in the 70s and 80s. Romancing the Stone, Raiders of the Lost Ark, these films that I grew up on. And so to have that opportunity was really exciting, but also to try and maintain that kind of character-driven authenticity as well was a real challenge. But I loved every minute of it.
You have Ana de Armas and Chris Evans in the lead roles, and their chemistry has been applauded since their Knives Out roles opposite each other. So what was it like to bring them back together, especially for an adventure of this magnitude?
Dexter Fletcher: Well, that’s the gift that keeps on giving. Chris brought me the project very early on, and I saw what a great opportunity there was for him because he’s a very great comedic actor. And there’s a really good comedic premise in this of some guy who lives a very safe life, and suddenly finds himself completely out of his depth. And that’s really funny when you imagine it’s Chris Evans because that’s not how you imagined [him].
And equally with Ana, she has all this incredible power, strength, and focus. And to give her a whole movie where she really gets to show that was a lot of fun. But also, she created this great character who’s very closed emotionally and won’t give her heart to anybody. And he’s the complete opposite of that. So that was really good. But then natural friendship is a massive bonus to that. And I exploited it every chance that I got.
Chris [being] the damsel in distress in this movie, it had to be especially funny after years of him being Captain America or being in The Gray Man and doing the villain. Was he happy to just be able to chill while Ana took on most of the action?
Dexter Fletcher: You’ve no idea how happy he was. He was very happy sitting in the chair: “No, no that looks great. What do I do, just sit here? Fantastic.” But then he has a wealth of experience as well. And what he would contribute when the time was right… He’s a great collaborator and if he had ideas and stuff, I’d be like, “What do you think?” Chris is like, “We could try that.” It wasn’t like he was like, “Hey, I’m not involved.“
He’s a producer and brought all of that experience and power to bear. So it was like having another great collaborator on there. And when he needed to do some fighting, which he does, he’s excellent at it. So you can’t underestimate the value of having a Chris Evans on set. It’s always good.
You’ve also got another reunion that will probably blow up the internet. So how did the Sebastian Stan Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans scene come about?
Dexter Fletcher: There were ideas in the scripts about cameos in [various] moments, though the sequence is very important because it kind of shows how dangerous the world is that they’re in. There was a great opportunity for those cameos, and those guys all know each other really well and go way back. I know Sebastian a little bit.
Obviously, Mackie and Chris thought it was hysterically funny that they were both in the same scene together. They think that’s just brilliant, which I’ve got to agree. I think Mackie is great. And then there was John Cho. The producer came back, [and] he said yes. So, I got three amazing people, and then Ryan [Reynolds] was like, “Hey, I want to do something,” because him and Chris are pals as well.
We kind of made up that moment, and that plays really well. I think people in the industry and filmmakers know that it’s hard to make a good film, and we all want to do the best we can [and] be a part of helping people that we like and care about and to make the best films. We want to put out good content for people [to] watch, enjoy, and watch again, and go “I love that.” And it’s hard, but that’s the job. If you can help someone be good at their job, why would you not want to do that? People, generally, are good and friendly and nice and want to contribute so that’s the benefit and the bonus of that really.
I’ve got to ask after that ending — is Sadie’s spy career over now that she’s found Cole or can we see another honeymoon adventure for the pair or something like that? Would you be down to do a sequel, Ghosted 2?
Dexter Fletcher: I would be down to do it. I never thought a honeymoon adventure. That sounds brilliant! The idea was to see them both have a life after, seeing the life beyond them now being together. We say three months later and the door is kind of left open. That wasn’t always the intention. It was more, I wanted to make sure the audience goes, “Oh, they are together. They worked out. She’s still a spy and he’s working towards what he wants to do.” But I think it’d be really interesting if they get married on a remote beach somewhere and something goes wrong. That sounds great. Roasted. Toasted. Hosted. Yeah, I’ve got to think of another title.
About Ghosted
Salt-of-the-earth Cole falls head over heels for enigmatic Sadie — but then makes the shocking discovery that she’s a secret agent. Before they can decide on a second date, Cole and Sadie are swept away on an international adventure to save the world.
Check out our other interview with Ghosted star Adrien Brody.
Ghosted is now streaming on AppleTV+.
