There’s a blunt-force clarity to “The Bluff.” Cannons roar, cliffs loom, and survival comes down to grit, guns, and one badass mother who refuses to bend. Directed by Frank E. Flowers, the 19th-century Caribbean thriller follows Ursell (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), a former pirate whose quiet life is shattered when Connor (Karl Urban), a betrayed former ally, arrives with vengeance and unfinished business on his mind. What unfolds is part Pirate-themed, “Die Hard”-esque siege movie, part reckoning with empire, and, in Urban’s words, “actually a love story with the volume turned up.” The film hits Prime Video on February 25 and also stars Temuera Morrison, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Safia Oakley-Green, and more.
On this episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo is joined by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban to talk about the sweat, the history, and the franchise futures looming on both of their horizons.
When asked just how physically punishing the shoot for “The Bluff” was, Urban did not romanticize it. “At the end of every single day, I would go and get all the stuff taken off, and I would have a double tequila ready to go and ready for that car ride home,” he said. Chopra-Jonas raised the stakes. “I definitely needed a tetanus shot, and margarita, and a bottle of wine.” The production was shot entirely on location, on a tight schedule, and there was “no time for anybody to fall sick. There was just no room.” Chopra Jonas admitted. “But, I mean, it looks great, and it turned out great.”
For Urban, Connor was never just a snarling antagonist. He described him as a man who “worked with the East India Company, who literally helped build the British Empire, and then found himself ostracized and outlawed by that empire.” Betrayed by country and lover alike, Connor’s objective runs deeper than revenge. “Yes, he’s out there to get revenge. But ultimately, what he wants is the ability to live in the world that he helped create.” Urban grinned at the contradiction. “I look at it like it’s actually a love story with the volume turned up.” Chopra-Jonas chimed in: “All the way up.” Urban finished it: “The reverb, all the knobs right up.”
Chopra Jonas had her own way in. “Besides the fact that I get to play a female pirate. I mean, when do we get to see that in the history of cinema?” she said. But the deeper pull was personal. “I was a new mom when the script came to me. My daughter was two years old. And I would rip someone’s head off if they came after her. So I knew that motivation… that was my North Star for Ursell through the whole film.”
That North Star extended into history. Chopra Jonas spoke about diving into the Cayman Islands’ colonial past and examining the Caribbean’s ties to indentured Indian labor. “History has so many perspectives, right? Different countries have different perspectives on the same incident,” she said. “The story, the backstory of my family was indentured servants, picked up from a part of India, and just brought over and dropped off on various islands in the world.” Honoring displacement, colonialism, and cultural hybridity mattered just as much as staging a brutal action set piece. “There was so much in this movie that I think we wanted to get right and be honoring, along with just telling a kick-ass story.”
Urban echoed that commitment to texture and authenticity. “The more work you put into anything, the better the results you’re going to see on screen,” he said. Shooting 100% on location made immersion almost automatic. “It lends itself a real authenticity… It’s very easy for us as actors to transport ourselves when you’re out there in the elements.”
As for what lies ahead, Urban teased the final season of “The Boys” with barely concealed pride. “Expect a high-octane, high-fatality count, energized final season. Nobody’s safe. And it’s all coming to its conclusion.” Urban teased and added, “I’ve seen all of it. I’m super proud of it. It moves like a freight train. And I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
On stepping into Johnny Cage for “Mortal Kombat 2,” Urban lit up. “I had so much fun working on Mortal [Kombat].” But he also admitted it was “technically probably one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had,” mainly because “everything in martial arts, the form, the style is so super specific.” Compared to “The Bluff,” it required a different skill set, but just as much discipline.
Chopra-Jonas, meanwhile, is preparing audiences for Season 2 of “Citadel,” first addressing rumors of extensive reshoots stemming from Season 2’s incorporation of characters and stories from the cancelled spin-offs, “Citadel: Diana” and “Citadel: Hunny Bunny.” “No, I don’t think there were major changes. I think we picked up where we left off in season one. But there were incredible additions, which you will see coming up,” she said. “Joe Russo directed most of it himself as well. So having his expertise on the set was just great.”
She is also deep into shooting “Varanasi,” her ambitious return to Indian cinema with filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli (“RRR”). Chopra-Jonas described the project as sweeping in scope. “This movie is going to be one of India’s biggest ambitions. It’s really positioned in an incredible way. And we travel time. We travel the world. It is an adventure.” The production schedule alone signals scale. “We’ve shot it for over 14 months now. And there’s still six more to go.” Even seeing limited footage, she believes “it’s going to be very cool and defining for Indian cinema.”
Finally, Urban addressed the possibility of returning as Judge Dredd. “I would love to reprise that role in a heartbeat. I really would. I had so much fun making that movie.” Urban said. “If I’m not part of it, then I’m all good with it. I just want to see more Dredd stories.”
As a reminder, “The Bluff” hits Prime Video on February 25. Watch or listen to the whole conversation with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban below:
The Discourse is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Deep Focus, Bingeworthy, and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
