How a 'Handmaid's Tale' director got the James Bond franchise producer on board for a brutal thriller starring Blake Lively

Paramount Pictures

Reed Morano on the set of "The Rhythm Section."

• "The Rhythm Section" director Reed Morano talked to Business Insider about making her gritty thriller.
• Though the movie has a lot of action, it also examines the trauma that comes with having to take a life. Morano said that was important for her to have in the movie.
• Morano also spoke about the on-set injury of the movie's star, Blake Lively, that led to production going on hiatus for 6 months.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When it was announced that Barbara Broccoli - the producer known best for overseeing the beloved James Bond franchise - would adapt a book about a young woman who becomes an assassin to avenge the death of her family, many in Hollywood assumed they would get a flashy, 007-like story.

Boy, were they wrong.

Thanks to the talents of its director, Reed Morano, "The Rhythm Section" (in theaters Friday) is a gritty and raw introspective tale of a young woman named Stephanie Patrick (played by a barely recognizable Blake Lively with an impressive English accent) who dives head first into the world of spies and contract killing.

No well-tailored outfits. No martinis. And Morano wouldn't want it any other way.

"Everything we do in the movie is coming from the reality of who that character is," Morano told Business Insider while meeting at a hotel in Lower Manhattan.

Morano, who got her start as one of the most sought-after cinematographers in the independent film world ("Frozen River," "The Skeleton Twins," "Beyoncé: Lemonade"), transitioned to directing with the Olivia Wilde-starrer "Meadowland" in 2015, and then found her big break when she directed the first three episodes of Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale." Her work on the show earned her an Emmy.

"The Rhythm Section," based on the 2011 book by Mark Burnell, who also wrote the screenplay, instantly drew in Morano because of its grounded material and because she felt she had a willing star who would take it to the edge with her in Lively. Broccoli was also interested in the tone Morano wanted.

"She was on board with it being raw, gritty, and realistic," Morano said. "I think it's what bonded us when we first talked."

Paramount bought the rights to the movie and Morano was off and running with a budget of around $50 million.

Though that doesn't sound like a whole lot for a studio action thriller, for Morano it was enough to work with, as she wasn't looking for constant explosions but to concentrate more on the character dynamic. At the start of the movie we see Stephanie bottomed out, smoking crack and engaging in prostitution. Then she learns about the people behind the plane explosion that killed her entire family and becomes fueled by revenge.

"There were just certain things where I was like if she did them, even if she was super driven, there would be nothing that would prepare her for how hard it would be to pull the trigger," Morano said.

Paramount Pictures

Blake Lively in "The Rhythm Section."

Though action movies about hired guns almost always feature a main character who can take out any adversary with little to no effort (Jams Bond movies, "La Femme Nikita," "John Wick" movies, "Atomic Blonde"), what makes Stephanie unique is she has trouble on her assignments. It drives home the foundation Morano wanted for the movie: that it is really hard to kill someone, both the physical act and the psychological.

"I'm close with someone who went through the CIA program and ended up having a lot of PTSD because in a situation where part of your job is you having to take a life, there are not a lot of people who can compartmentalize it, it takes over their life," Morano said.

So in many of the sequences where Stephanie is on a job, the audience is on the edge of their seats because it's possible she might not survive it.

That raw storytelling also went into how it was shot. Morano had her cinematographer, Sean Bobbitt ("12 Years a Slave," "Widows"), shoot the movie with a handheld feel and tight shots, to give you the sense that you are right there with Stephanie. It led to a visually stunning car chase sequence in which the camera stays in the car with Stephanie throughout in one continuous shot. There's also a sequence where Stephanie is training to become an assassin with former MI6 agent Boyd (Jude Law) that got a little too real.

"Blake ended up injuring her hand and it was in that kitchen scene," Morano said, adding that it led to the movie going on a six-month hiatus. "But a ton of thought was put into how to work the injury into the story realistically, especially by Blake. That's where the scene came of her hand getting smashed into this glass and cutting her hand."

Though the movie likely won't be breaking any box-office records, it is destined to build a cult following because of its unique storytelling in a genre that rarely gets it. And Morano, who has been linked to everything from "Star Wars" to a superhero movie, feels "The Rhythm Section" is exactly the kind of movie she wants to continue making.

"I really love intimate movies, but I also enjoy doing stunts and action on this level," she said. "I would say it's not about size it's about continuing to find stories to tell in a way that feels new so I can have something to say. I'll know it when I read it."

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