William Kaufman on Building Character Into the Tactical Action of Man of War

• Action director William Kaufman explains how he staged the tactical gunfights in "Man of War."
• He builds at least two weeks of weapons and movement training into the schedule.
• He credits Stani Stamatov and Radoslav Parvanov for the film’s hand-to-hand fight with Daniel Bernhardt.

Posted: July 3, 2026

In a craft-focused interview ahead of Man of War's release, action director William Kaufman breaks down how he stages authentic tactical gunfights on modest budgets: leaning on tier-one tactical advisors (Max Kraus in Bulgaria), holding the geography across large-cast firefights so the audience always knows where every shooter is, and building at least two weeks of weapons-and-movement training — tac reloads, moving and covering as a team — into the schedule. He credits second unit director Stani Stamatov and fight choreographer Radoslav Parvanov for the film's standout hand-to-hand sequence featuring 87Eleven veteran Daniel Bernhardt (Atomic Blonde, Extraction II) opposite lead LaMonica Garrett. For coordinators and performers it's a useful look at how a prolific action director prioritizes rehearsal, authentic weapons handling, and stunt-trained casting to make action read as real.

Source: In Review Online — Without Character, It's Just a Stunt Show: An Interview with William Kaufman

Learn more on IMDb: Man of War (2026) · Daniel Bernhardt