Michael Bay’s new documentary tackles an illegal subject, and the rule-breaking nature of the movie means he wasn’t able to be on set while it was being filmed.
Many will know Bay for producing some of the greatest action movies ever known. Explosions, helicopter shots, and huge set pieces are typically part of his style, but his new movie, We Are Storror, takes a completely different turn.
The documentary follows a seven-man parkour group who have been filming themselves for the last 18 years. The documentary, directed by Bay, features up-close and handheld shots of the parkour stunts performed by the squad.
The sports movie may be a different approach from the filmmaker, but mostly because he didn’t allow himself to be present during any of the actual filming of the documentary, for one big reason.
Michael Bay couldn’t be “involved” in We Are Storror shoot
Bay himself explained why he wouldn’t participate on the set of the production, and it all boils down to the fact that the activities aren’t strictly legal.
Parkour itself isn’t illegal, but can result in breaking the law when it comes to using private property for the setting. All this meant Bay was very careful during the lengthy five-year production.
“I could not shoot it,” Bay told The Hollywood Reporter. “Do you understand? Because everything they’re doing is illegal.”
He then went on to explain how, in order to make the movie, he had to license the footage and assemble it separately.
“I had to license the footage. Literally, I could not be involved. I talked to Jimmy Chin [the co-director of Free Solo] about the camera work, asking him, ‘How did you not have the drone bother [free climber Alex Honnold]? How did you make sure you didn’t push him an extra inch where he could have died?’”
When asked outright if he was on set during production, Bay replied, “No. I could not condone what they were doing. The legal hurdles were immense. That’s why it took five years.
“My whole thing was to come up with overarching vision and go through their massive library to hone it down and try to get to who the characters were. They didn’t know how to make an all-encompassing story about themselves.”
We Are Storror premiered at SXSW on March 8, 2025.
For more, check out our list of the best movies coming in 2025. You can also see what new movies are on streaming this month, for more watches.
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