Chad Michael Collins Interview - Sniper: Assassin's End (And Exclusive Clip)
Screen Rant talks to Sniper: Assassin's End star Chad Michael Collins about returning for the action franchise's latest entry.
The Sniper franchise began back in 1993 and starred Tom Berenger as a veteran Marine sniper named Thomas Beckett and Billy Zane as his rookie partner Miller. The film was a taut, stylish action thriller that launched a surprisingly robust franchise. Berenger first returned for Sniper 2 in 2002 before actor Chad Michael Collins (Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare) picked up the reins as Beckett's estranged son Brandon in 2011's Sniper: Reloaded, the fourth in the series. The fifth entry Sniper: Legacy would be the first to pair the actors, and they've been reunited once more for Sniper: Assassin's End.
This eighth installment finds Brandon framed for an assassination and finding himself on the run from both his government and a mysterious assassin dubbed Lady Death (Sayaka Akimoto). Brandon turns to the only person he can trust; his legendary father Thomas. Sniper: Assassin's End also introduces Ryan Robbins to the series as Homeland Security Agent Zeke "Zero" Rosenberg, who believes Brandon might be innocent and uncovers a dark conspiracy.
Sniper: Assassin's End feels like a soft reboot of the long-running series, with director Kaare Andrews (Cabin Fever: Patient Zero) bringing a stylized flair to its action. It also gives the Beckett's their first real chance to bond over their shared experiences. Screen Rant had a chance to talk with star Chad Michael Collins about the new sequel, discussing how Brandon has changed over the years, working with an icon like Tom Berenger and the fan response to his appearance in 2019's Modern Warfare.
Sniper: Assassin's End is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Sniper: Assassin's End marks the fifth time you've played Brandon. How do you feel the character has evolved since his first appearance?
Chad Michael Collins: Yes, I step into Brandon's boots for the fifth time with Sniper: Assassin's End - it has and continues to be such a fun ride! And he has certainly evolved. He started off as an infantry Marine with a distaste for the long gun, and now he's a world-class shooter just like his old man, Thomas Beckett. And he's faced with those same dilemmas that his father went through - the endless judgment calls, the PTSD, and more. Brandon definitely has some more dirt under his fingernails after all of his heroic adventures around the world, and I think it has resulted in him being a little more world-weary, but we played with this notion of him having more of a gallows humor and charm about it all from living life on the edge for so long.
The new movie gives the most focus to the complicated father/son dynamic between Brandon and Thomas Beckett and lets them bond a little. What was it like to work with Tom Berenger this time around?
Chad Michael Collins: It's always a pleasure to work with Tom Berenger, who I've always been a fan of before I came aboard the Sniper franchise. I loved the parts of this movie that let Brandon and Thomas try and connect, father and son. Attempting to build a bridge as older, more experienced men and soldiers, to form a bond and a connection for the first time. I think this movie does a great job of showing those moments - sometimes awkward, sometimes tender. Tom is always great to be around and work with, and I can sit and listen to his acting career stories for hours on end.
This is Kaare Andrews’ first time behind the lens on a Sniper movie. What was the collaboration like with Kaare on set, and how does his style differ from the previous films?
Chad Michael Collins: Kaare was fantastic to work with; he was so excited to make this movie, and his enthusiasm never waned. One of the early conversations we had by phone was about him being new to the franchise and recognizing that I've taken Brandon on a journey over the course of several films, and he trusted what I was going to bring to the table from that perspective. It was very open and collaborative, our filming experience, which I really appreciated. We'd hash out scenes together, explore dialogue and more, and he was always very open to what I had to offer, which was great. He's an incredibly talented and successful artist coming from the comic book world, so his style of filming really set Assassin's End apart. Some very stylized scenes that feel very much like a John Wick film with dashes of a kung fu or martial arts movie. It felt like a total reinvigoration of the franchise in a lot of ways.
Lady Death is probably the most formidable foe Brandon has faced to date. What did Sayaka Akimoto bring to the part?
Chad Michael Collins: I can't say enough good things about Sayaka Akimoto, the Japanese actress and pop star who stars as our female lead. She was such a gamer! We spent hours and hours together rehearsing and choreographing very involved fight sequences, and she just threw herself into it in a way that impressed me. We both had very excellent and capable stunt doubles, but she was like me from day one - she wanted to learn it all, do it all, to the very best of her abilities. She felt it was important and was tireless in her pursuit of it. She was a most excellent fake-fight dance partner, and I think she'll bring a whole new set of international eyes on our franchise with her unique character. She's very watchable, and hands-down had the best costuming in the entire movie!
There also appears to be more hand-to-hand fighting this time around. How was it to shoot the action for this entry?
Chad Michael Collins: Yes, there was. A lot! Which was my favorite part about Assassin's End. We will always have the gun play and shootouts, but I love when the script calls for more up-close-and-personal action. We had an amazing stunt/fight choreographer working with us, Brett Chan. He was so great, so hands-on with all of us, and brought such a unique style and flourish to every scene he choreographed. Filming the action is always a challenge, and you're going to get banged up pretty good, but I love it all and do as many of my own stunts and fight sequences as they'll allow me to. Maybe one day I'll opt to sit those scenes out and let my stuntman do all the heavy lifting, but I don't see that day coming anytime soon!
Do you have a personal favorite Sniper movie out of the ones you’ve worked on?
Chad Michael Collins: It's so hard to choose between all your babies! I truly do love them all equally. But my favorite has always been the most recent Sniper film we put out there. Each one builds upon another, feels more fun, more complete than the last. It's easy to have franchise fatigue and just crank out more action movies that look and feel the same. But I feel like with our franchise, we do try and raise the bar each time. With Assassin's End, I think we've raised it even higher in terms of story, action, and execution. And I think audiences will appreciate that on all levels.
The final scene of Assassin’s End certainly hints at a sequel. Is there another Sniper currently in the works?
Despite playing Brandon Beckett across five Sniper films, I'm most definitely a soldier who's on a permanent "need to know" basis and level of clearance. I don't know what's next for the franchise, or who will co-star in it with me, but I do know that whenever I get the call checking on dates to come back and do another one, I get giddy all over again. Sony has always done such a great job of finding fantastic directors and actors, writers and more, and they nailed it with Assassin's End once again. Between Sayaka as Lady Death, Ryan Robbins as Agent Zero, Kaare Andrews behind the lens... the possibility certainly exists for characters to return for more sequels. Brandon is always standing by, waiting for that good news from the Sony brass.
You recently played Alex in 2019’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare. How have the fans responded to your part, and is there any talk of Alex returning for a future game?
Chad Michael Collins: I'll be honest - I knew being a lead in a Call of Duty game was a big deal, but I've been blown away by how popular and well-received my Alex/Echo 3-1 character has been. The game has been a smash-hit around the globe, and Alex was a new character I got to originate that was introduced in the single player campaign and then later in the multiplayer/Warzone component of COD. And he seems to already be an all-time fan favorite, which has been such a fun ride. Fan art, cosplay, endless messages and comments and videos. I'm now seeing people growing Alex's mustache and getting his signature haircut. It's been so flattering and rewarding to see his popularity and seeing so many Alexes running around the battlefields when I boot up and play COD: MW. I'm not sure what the future holds for Alex, but I think it's fair to say that the gamers and fans might revolt if he never makes another appearance in a COD game!
On that note, was there ever a discussion about the first-person shooter Brandon is seen playing in Assassin's End actually being Modern Warfare?
Chad Michael Collins: I do remember having conversations with our wonderful Sony producer about exploring that option. I honestly loved that they leaned into that - it's such a fun little wry wrinkle to my work in Call of Duty, and I'm finding that there's a ton of crossover between first-person shooter gamers and fans of action movies. I know that Sony was speaking to Activision about it all, but I'm not sure what if anything came of it. I suggested that they try and license an older Modern Warfare game, like the original. That would've gotten the fans talking and the YouTube videos flying around the internet! Those awesome gamers love to speculate, and there are a million videos out there tying Alex's origins to previous characters from the Modern Warfare universe. So fun to see their passion.
You also appeared in season 1 of Shudder’s Creepshow. What was it like being part of such an iconic horror franchise?
Chad Michael Collins: Yes, I did a lead in an episode called 'Skincrawlers' that was an absolute blast. Total departure from the action/soldier characters I love playing so much. I grew up on the original Creepshow movies, read every Stephen King novel I could get my hands on, and have seen every episode of The Walking Dead. So being in that show was such a pleasure, being a huge fan of both King and Greg Nicotero. And it was such a fun throwback episode - so much humor, camp and gore. You would not believe the amounts of fake blood and viscera that coated the floor on that set when we filmed it. It was a delight.
And finally, can you tell us what your next project will be?
Chad Michael Collins: Right now, I've just been enjoying both the Sniper and Call of Duty ride. There are always irons in the fire on my end, but until your feet hit the ground on a set, you just keep marching forward. Quarantine was a challenge for a lot of people, but it allowed me to connect with Call of Duty gamers and Sniper fans around the world in such wonderful ways. I started Twitch streaming and playing with the COD players. I connected with thousands of new fans in Brazil, India and a dozen other countries who are watching Sniper: Ultimate Kill as it became the number-one most-watched movie on Netflix in so many of those international territories. Sniper fans started playing Call of Duty; Call of Duty gamers started going out and watching all of our Sniper movies. It's been such a blessing to be a part of two fantastic franchises, and I hope we get back to making more of both as soon as humanly possible.
Sniper: Assassin's End is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digitial.