Arka Evren
Baby Driver

FILM · 2017 · UK

Baby Driver

Directed by
Edgar Wright
Runtime
113 min
Studio
Big Talk Studios, Working Title Films, MRC

153 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Summary: TMDB

  • Baby Driver — production image

All facts (153)

  1. #001

    Director Edgar Wright once parked his car in a parking lot and noticed, entirely by coincidence, that the car beside his bore a stylized "BABY ON BOARD" sign whose face was taken from the film's poster. Wright left a note on the car's windshield signed with the words "From the director of Baby Driver, I approve!"

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  2. #002

    If you watch the film with headphones, you will hear Baby's music only in the ear where he is wearing an earbud each time he puts one in.

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  3. #003

    Because the film was starting to go over budget, the studio pressured Edgar Wright to cut the foot chase scene. To make sure the scene was completed, Wright deferred part of his directing fee.

    PRODUCTION STORY · SOURCED

  4. #004

    The Mike Myers masks were originally meant to be Michael Myers masks from the Halloween series, but the producers could not obtain the legal permission. Edgar Wright then approached the comedian Mike Myers about using masks resembling him, thinking the scene was funny. This is ironic because the original Michael Myers masks were themselves obtained without the necessary permission: Tommy Lee Wallace, the production assistant on the first film, bought a William Shatner/Captain Kirk mask from a Halloween store and painted it white to give it a creepy look.

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  5. #005
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    After the first bank robbery, Griff jokes, "If you don't see me again, it's because I'm dead." Despite being prominent in the credits, the character is never seen again in the film after his five-minute appearance.

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  6. #006

    Creating action sequences synchronized to music required extensive preparation. Edgar Wright chose the music he wanted before the script was written, so that the script could match the song's timing exactly; for example, if a song was two and a half minutes long, Wright would write two and a half pages of descriptive action. Wright then had a sound designer take the chosen music tracks and add sound effects described in the script, such as tire sounds, gunshots or vocal clips, in time with the song's rhythm. These sound files were given to storyboard artists, who under Wright's direction created an animation with images designed to reflect the script's events in time with the sound. The animation and sound files were then passed to the film's stunt coordinators and the director of photography, who were instructed to follow them as closely as possible. Before the final real shots were filmed on 35mm, the sequences were painstakingly rehearsed for several days while being shot on digital cameras. Finally, the film's editor used footage from the camera's video assist to create a rough cut after each shot to make sure the timing was right. Despite this extensive preparation, things did not always go perfectly: the scene in which Baby rewinds a song was improvised on set when Wright realized the song would not be long enough to cover the scene.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

  7. #007
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Edgar Wright said the final scene, in which Baby leaves prison, was deliberately left ambiguous (note that neither Baby nor Debora appears to have aged), to leave the audience to interpret whether he was actually paroled and whether what the narrator says about the rainbow comes true, or whether it is simply a product of his imagination. The actors Ansel Elgort and Lily James also disagreed on this: Elgort thinks it really is his imagination, while James thinks it actually happened.

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  8. #008
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Baby listens to Queen's "Brighton Rock" on his iPod, which foreshadows events that occur later in the film. The song is a reference to the story Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, in which the character Pinkie is a young man in a gang. Throughout the story Pinkie tries to erase the traces of all the murders and secrets he has become entangled in. He falls in love with a girl named Rose, who works as a waitress in a restaurant. At the end of the novel all the crimes have caught up with Pinkie, and after being chased by the police Pinkie dies. The only one left standing is Rose at the restaurant (the love interest).

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  9. #009

    The Commodores' song "Easy" was requested for the film by Ansel Elgort after Edgar Wright asked whether there were songs he knew by heart.

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  10. #010

    Cinematographer Bill Pope called the film "a postmodern musical" and said, "there's no singing and dancing in the street but the world acts to music."

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  11. #011

    The diner and the apartment were the only sets built for the film; everything else was shot on location.

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  12. #012

    One of the film's technical consultants was Joe Loya, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in the early '90s for bank robbery.

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  13. #013

    The studio asked for the scene in which Baby mispronounces the band T. Rex as "Trex" to be removed from the film because it made the character look stupid, but Edgar Wright refused.

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  14. #014

    Jamie Foxx's line "That's some Oscar shit right there" was improvised.

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  15. #015

    According to Edgar Wright, every script sent to the lead actors being considered for their roles came with an iPod containing a list of songs (arranged in a specific order) to be played while reading a particular scene of the film, in order to emphasize the tone.

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  16. #016

    Most, though not all, of the gunshots in the film are in time with the rhythm of the music.

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  17. #017

    According to Edgar Wright, many people thought the diner set was a real restaurant and that groups occasionally came in and sat down to eat lunch.

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  18. #018

    Edgar Wright generally does not allow improvisation on his sets, but this time he made a few exceptions, such as for Jamie Foxx.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

  19. #019
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Edgar Wright came up with the idea of Doc bringing his "nephew" along while scouting a bank after meeting a real ex-convict who said he had done exactly that before a robbery.

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  20. #020

    Jamie Foxx often stayed to watch Kevin Spacey's scenes even when Spacey was not on set, saying it was great to have the chance to watch great artists perform their roles. He also claims to watch many foreign and independent films, and said he would very much like to see Allan Miller perform in a stage play or even a music concert in the US, since Foxx considers Miller "an amazingly talented kid who became a breathtaking adult actor" (Foxx's own words).

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  21. #021

    In almost every scene where music is not playing, a faint ringing (the sound of Baby's tinnitus) can be heard in the background.

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  22. #022

    Edgar Wright insisted on shooting most of the chase scenes in daylight because it created an "extra air of collision tension."

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  23. #023
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    After the final heist, Baby runs home and finds the wounded Joseph in their wanted apartment. Records are scattered everywhere; the most visible ones are the original albums from which the film's soundtrack songs were taken.

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  24. #024

    Ansel Elgort had trained in ballet and other dance styles since childhood, and this skill proved useful for the action scenes with musical choreography.

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  25. #025

    The large collection of sunglasses and iPods Baby owns was not bought by him; they were taken from the cars he stole. In an interview, Edgar Wright said: "If he's been stealing cars since he was 12, the most important things he'd inherit from these stolen cars are people's sunglasses and iPods."

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  26. #026

    Queen's "Brighton Rock" was always intended to be used in the final chase scene.

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  27. #027

    In an introduction by Edgar Wright, he explained that very little or no CGI or green screen was used to film the car chase scenes. All of the driving was done practically.

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  28. #028
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Despite receiving top billing, Jon Bernthal has only about 5 minutes of screen time.

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  29. #029

    Near the beginning of the film, as Baby flips through channels, several lines of dialogue from different films can be heard ("You are so beautiful," "They grow up so freaking fast," "How's that working out for you?" and "We're partners. There's nothing more important to me more than our friendship"). Each of these lines later appears as a line of dialogue delivered by Baby.

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  30. #030

    The tracking shot at the beginning of the film in which Baby buys coffee took 28 takes. The 21st take is the one used in the film.

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  31. #031
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    The man who knows Bats at the gun deal (R. Marcus Taylor) was one of the guards Bats encountered during the armored truck robbery (the other was killed).

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  32. #032

    Doc's car, a Mercedes Benz S550, was designed to correct itself when it went out of control, so its computer systems had to be modified for the chase scenes.

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  33. #033

    In a recent interview with THR (The Hollywood Reporter), Edgar Wright explains why Baby (Ansel Elgort) does not use a smartphone for his music and calls. It is because modern technology like smartphones can be tracked, allowing Baby to stay off the grid by using burners and iPods.

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  34. #034

    More than 150 cars were used in the film.

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  35. #035

    Jon Hamm's role was always written for him and conceived with him in mind; he was the only actor from the first table read to appear in the final film.

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  36. #036

    Both Ansel Elgort and Jon Hamm took a month of driving training to prepare for the film's extensive and detailed chase scenes.

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  37. #037
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    At Bo's Diner, Darling tells Bats, "when Buddy sees red, all you'll see is black." During Buddy and Baby's final confrontation in the parking garage, the police car Buddy is driving has red lights flashing. The bullfighting documentary shown on television at the start of the film also foreshadows the events of this confrontation, noting that the bull sees red, that the bullfighter begins on horseback and must finish on foot.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

  38. #038

    While writing the film, Edgar Wright interviewed former convicts for research purposes.

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  39. #039
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    When Baby steals the woman's car, he tunes the radio from 104.1 FM to 97.1 FM, and Golden Earring's "Radar Love" plays. Along the way he hits several real Atlanta-area radio station frequencies: 104.1 FM WALR, an R&B and jazz station, is what the woman was listening to when Baby first stops her; 101.5 FM WKHX is a country music station where Baby briefly stops; and 97.1 FM WSRV, where Baby stops, is a classic rock station. It is also worth noting that while searching for 97.1 FM, Baby appears to skip more than ten stations from 100.5 FM to 96.5 FM, all of which play static. The only station that plays radio that is not a real frequency in Atlanta, 100.7 FM, was once a real radio station in the area. Its call letters, WGHR, are now used by a former station in the Tampa, Florida area, which may explain why Baby hears an old song while scrolling past that frequency.

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  40. #040
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    In the scene where Baby/Miles channel-surfs on Joe's television, a dense amount of news is delivered: "You are so beautiful" for his first meeting with Debbie, "They grow up so freakin' fast" for Doc with his niece as the post office observer, "How's that workin' out for ya?" for his first meeting with JD, a Monsters Inc. scene, a line Doc uses twice, and the bullfighting documentary ("The bull sees nothing but red; Gaston's options are running out. He started this on horseback and now he has to finish it on foot"), which foreshadows his final confrontation with Buddy in the parking garage. Darling also refers to Buddy as "ruthless" and says he "sees red" while talking with Bats in the diner.

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  41. #041

    The mural featuring the trumpeter seen in the title sequence was painted by local artists in Atlanta at director Edgar Wright's request.

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  42. #042

    Referring to the character Doc, director Edgar Wright described him as "like one of those awful father figures who can be great in rare moments."

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  43. #043

    It is the first R-rated film to be granted permission to show footage from a Disney film (Monsters, Inc. (2001)). As a result, Monsters, Inc. director Pete Docter was given a 'special thanks' credit.

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  44. #044

    One of the songs planned for use was Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode" featuring Snoop Dogg, but due to high licensing fees the film used David McCallum's "The Edge," which is prominently sampled in the former.

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  45. #045
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    While preparing for the third heist, Baby absentmindedly plays with a toy car and accidentally knocks it off the table. This foreshadows a scene in the third act in which Baby sends a police car from an upper-level parking garage crashing down into the street below.

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  46. #046

    When Edgar Wright shot Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey in the same frame, he would whisper to a colleague, "Double Oscar shot!"

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  47. #047
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Costume designer Courtney Hoffman suggested giving Debora tattooed boots to show that "she's not committed to this life of being a waitress and can take off anytime."

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  48. #048

    Edgar Wright first came up with the idea for Baby Driver while listening to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's song "Bellbottoms."

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  49. #049

    The opening title sequence uses a single-take shot of Baby walking to get coffee and then walking back, recalling the famous opening of Shaun of the Dead (2004), in which Shaun walks to the shop and then returns home in a single shot (which is later repeated when the zombie outbreak begins).

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  50. #050

    The coffee run scene was the first scene shot for the film.

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  51. #051

    Emma Stone was initially sought to play Debora but left for the production of La La Land (2016).

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  52. #052
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    The prison from which Baby is released is the same prison used in The Blues Brothers (1980). The filming follows a route similar to the one in The Blues Brothers.

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  53. #053

    Edgar Wright had been working on the idea for this film for many years. He first used it in a music video he directed for the British electronic duo Mint Royale and their track "Blue Song" (Mint Royale: Blue Song (2003)). In the video, Noel Fielding plays a music-loving getaway driver for a group of bank robbers that includes Wright regular Nick Frost. A clip from the video is shown in the film when the television in Baby's apartment is being channel-surfed.

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  54. #054

    Edgar Wright began working on this film in 1995 but did not finish the script until 2011 and the film until 2017. He did, however, receive an advance for it in 2007. He thanked his producer for not suing him over this when the film had its world premiere at SXSW.

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  55. #055

    When Edgar Wright wanted Ansel Elgort to be tougher in a take, he used the code word "Man Driver!" He taught Ansel the "Kubrick look" by showing him a picture on his phone of Malcolm McDowell's character in A Clockwork Orange (1971).

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  56. #056

    On the first day of shooting, Jamie Foxx watched Jon Hamm on the monitor and said to himself, "He handsome."

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  57. #057
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Eddie is the only member of the crew besides Baby who does not die in the film. Griff's fate after leaving the crew is unknown, but his last line, "If you don't see me again, it's because I'm dead," implies he died, though this is not confirmed.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

  58. #058

    Fearing he would lose his communication link with the actors or the cameras, Edgar Wright strapped himself to the camera car instead of riding in the chase car. Jon Hamm joked that he had to perform while looking at a wandering "sunburnt muppet," referring to Edgar.

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  59. #059

    When Baby delivers pizza, there is a close-up of Wright's finger pressing the doorbell button. Wright also appears in the music store window during the first coffee run. Wright said on Twitter that he was following the shot and planned to remove the reflection in post, but decided to leave it in.

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  60. #060

    In the restaurant scene, Doc is seen talking with Big Boi (of Outkast) and Killer Mike (of Run the Jewels). They also contribute a song to the film's music.

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  61. #061

    When Doc plans the heist for Bats, Eddie and JD, their dialogue cannot be heard because of Baby's music. However, the dialogue is present in the trailer because Edgar Wright felt it deserved to be heard in that context.

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  62. #062

    During the opening title sequence, as Baby gets coffee and listens to the lyrics of "Harlem Shuffle," he can be seen in graffiti, signs and posters as he walks past.

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  63. #063

    The car Baby uses in the opening scene is a 2006 Subaru WRX STI in San Remo Red. This is the actual car he was to keep after the film wrapped, as a birthday gift.

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  64. #064
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    The picture seen on the back wall of Bo's Diner is the same image as the postcard Baby received from Debora in prison.

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  65. #065

    The film takes its name from the Simon & Garfunkel song "Baby Driver" from their 1970 album "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The song appears in the film's end title sequence.

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  66. #066

    When Edgar Wright began writing the script, he had only ten songs. According to the released playlist, the final film had thirty. "Smokey Joe's La La" was a very late replacement for B. Bumble & The Stingers' "Nut Rocker" during post-production, because after several test screenings Wright felt it "started to get on his tits," and part of that scene was reshot. The Commodores' "Easy" was also included after Ansel Elgort was cast, because Wright learned during auditions that it was one of the songs Elgort knew very well and could sing/lip-sync to. That moment won him the lead role.

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  67. #067

    A song plays in the background of almost every scene in the film. Also, whenever a song plays in 4/4 time, the shot almost always cuts on one of the four beats.

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  68. #068

    The song playing on the iPod in the red Challenger is "Know How" by Young MC (Marvin Young), from the album 'Stone Cold Rhymin'. The bass line on that track is played by Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, who plays a crook named Eddie in one of the jobs early in the film.

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  69. #069

    Edgar Wright timed the characters' movements to the rhythm of the songs in the film.

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  70. #070

    Jon Hamm's character, Jason Van Horn, whose code name is Buddy, is probably a tribute to legendary Hollywood stuntman/coordinator Buddy Van Horn.

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  71. #071

    Director Edgar Wright tweeted "Meryl Streep's in our movie!" in early 2017. He deleted it shortly afterward, and many people speculated about whether Streep was in the film. Although she does not appear in the film, Streep shows up on a TV screen in a clip from It's Complicated (2009) as Baby channel-surfs.

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  72. #072

    More than 40 streets in Atlanta were closed during production to shoot the film's elaborate chase scenes.

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  73. #073

    During the studio logos, you can hear a faint ringing resembling Baby's tinnitus.

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  74. #074

    The film was initially set in Los Angeles but was ultimately shot in Atlanta. Other cities with tax incentives were ruled out for being too cold or for falling through at the last minute. Edgar Wright got help from local writers and location scouts to help him rewrite the film to make it specific to Atlanta.

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  75. #075

    In keeping with the film's musical theme, singers and musicians appear throughout. In addition to the previously mentioned appearances by Big Boi and Killer Mike, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Academy Award-winning songwriter Paul Williams also take small roles. Jamie Foxx plays a major part.

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  76. #076

    When star Ansel Elgort was given the script, it was delivered to him on an iPad that played music for the relevant scenes via emojis.

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  77. #077

    Several actors auditioned for the role of Baby's foster father Joseph, but the only one who was actually deaf was CJ Jones.

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  78. #078

    Ansel Elgort beat out Logan Lerman and John Boyega for the lead role.

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  79. #079

    One problem the filmmakers frequently faced was the abundance of leaves on Atlanta's streets. To avoid them, they generally preferred to shoot in urban environments.

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  80. #080

    Costume designer Courtney Hoffman had Ansel Elgort try on 80 different jackets before deciding on Baby's style.

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  81. #081

    It is the first Edgar Wright film shot in the United States.

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  82. #082

    During an interview on the Nerdist Podcast, Edgar Wright admitted he put a lot of hidden references into the film. He told Chris Hardwick that the license plate on one of the cars represents the release date of another of his films.

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  83. #083

    Several 2006 Subaru Impreza WRXs with various modifications were used in the film. Some were standard WRX STIs whose spoilers were swapped for the more conservative WRX version, while another had modifications including 320 horsepower, a heavier clutch and differentials from an STI. One of the cars was an automatic fitted with a seat and controls on the roof so the crew could film the "driving" actors without having to worry about actually controlling the car. Another, a WRX converted to rear-wheel drive that delivered a modest power increase up to a high 200-horsepower range, was named by stunt driver Jeremy Fry as his favorite vehicle.

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  84. #084

    During promotion, Edgar Wright jokingly referred to the film as part of the Simon and Garfunkel Cinematic Universe and to Marc Webb's The Only Living Boy in New York (2017). Both films take their titles from Simon & Garfunkel songs.

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  85. #085

    Michael Douglas was considered for the role of Doc. Edgar Wright was responsible for taking on the role of Hank Pym in Ant-Man (2015) before Wright left the project.

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  86. #086

    At the diner, when Debora comes to take Baby's order, he is absent-mindedly looking over the kids' menu. Later, another waitress says that Baby has been coming in "since before me" and that she thinks his mother worked there. Baby probably comes there and looks at the kids' menu because it reminds him of his childhood with his mother.

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  87. #087

    There are multiple references to the Back to the Future trilogy, with Kevin Spacey's character "Doc" (Back to the Future, 1985) and Jon Bernthal's character "Griff" (Back to the Future Part II, 1989). Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist who played "Needles" in Back to the Future Parts II & III, has a small role in this film as "Eddie." The film's "Doc" character also mentions an old job called "The Spirit of 85" (a reference to Atlanta's I-85 highway), the year the first Back to the Future was released (1985).

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  88. #088

    Most of the film was shot on film rather than digitally.

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  89. #089

    Bats literally "knocks some sense" into Baby. The sunglasses Baby wears throughout the film represent his blinding himself to the violence around him.

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  90. #090

    Fellow director and Edgar Wright's friend Robert Rodriguez suggested Eiza González for the role of Darling.

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  91. #091

    Although Baby says Debora belongs to the band Trex (T. Rex), the group actually recorded under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex and released in early 1968. The name was not shortened until 1970, when singer/guitarist Marc Bolan learned that producer Tony Visconti had used the abbreviation in his work diary. Bolan later informed Visconti that he would shorten the band's name because it was easier to spell.

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  92. #092

    Bats names three "hex songs": Guns N' Roses' cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," Eagles' "Hotel California" and Boyz II Men's "End of the Road." "Knockin'" was based on a superstition recounted by a former inmate Edgar Wright interviewed, who said that if the song came on the radio before a plan was carried out, the robbery job would be called off. "Hotel California" is one of the songs Jamie Foxx absolutely hates in real life (he improvised that line). No explanation has yet been given for "End of the Road," though it underscores the complicated relationship between Baby and Debora throughout the film and that Doc has to give some things up for his heists.

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  93. #093

    The Mercedes-Benz S550 used by Doc was supplied by Mercedes-Benz; all of the ones used were destroyed and scrapped by the time filming was completed.

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  94. #094

    Because Baby Driver was shot in Atlanta, Edgar Wright added many touches to make it genuinely Atlantan. When the chef at Bo's Diner picks up the phone and says "What'll ya have?", it is most likely a nod to The Varsity, the famous Atlanta restaurant where staff take your order by asking "What'll ya have?".

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  95. #095
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    The real names of the known robbers are as follows: Baby: Miles, Bats: Leon, Buddy: Jason and Darling: Monica.

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  96. #096

    Jon Bernthal shot his role as Griff while he was also promoting the second season of Daredevil (2015).

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  97. #097

    Writer/director Edgar Wright and star Ansel Elgort bonded over their mutual love of music.

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  98. #098

    Edgar Wright contacted the hip-hop artists Big Boi and Killer Mike directly to have them appear in the film as guest actors.

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  99. #099
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Griff warns Baby, "One of these days you're gonna get blood on your hands and you're gonna find out that shit don't wash off in the sink". This foreshadows his fate in the final act. In addition, Doc gives Baby a pair of gloves early in the film whose lower part is red like blood, and Baby abandons them after his third heist, thinking he is free. As soon as Doc brings him back for the final heist, not expecting to save him from the scrap heap, Griff's "prophecy" begins to come true.

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  100. #100

    Baby's first walk to get coffee (to "Harlem Shuffle") takes him out of the Healy Building on Forsyth St NW, around the first corner on the left toward Poplar St NW, and then to a café on the corner at Fairlie St NW. While many real landmarks are still visible on Google Maps (such as the Sidebar), other elements (such as graffiti and the ATM) are clearly added by the filmmakers.

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  101. #101

    Jamie Foxx's character Bats has two sets of tattoos, one on each side of his neck, featuring bats as a nod to his nickname in the film (which appear and disappear throughout the film). He is also shown (in the poster) with a gun tattoo on his right hand. However, in every scene he appears in in the film, the gun tattoo is on his left hand, while his right hand has a glove.

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  102. #102

    In addition to one Challenger, Dodge provided 15 Dodge Chargers; all but two were destroyed when filming was completed. 2 Chevrolet Blazers were used.

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  103. #103

    Although Edgar Wright insisted on using less CGI, the visual effects company Double Negative provided around 450 VFX shots, mostly for cleanup, digital cars, background objects and the combining of practical shots.

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  104. #104

    Edgar Wright admitted that he was a little starstruck while working with Kevin Spacey.

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  105. #105

    The car seen at the beginning of the film (a red 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX) is the same model of car seen at the end of Edgar Wright's 2007 film Hot Fuzz (2007).

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  106. #106
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    The ending of the film is partly inspired by the 1938 gangster film Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), since in both the criminals take responsibility for their actions and are willing to face the consequences.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

  107. #107
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    J. D. drops his gun because he is the only crew member whose rifle has no strap.

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  108. #108

    During the scene of drinking coffee through the music store window, there is a man acting like a mannequin who starts moving after Baby plays the trumpet.

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  109. #109

    In a scene featuring Baby's home sound equipment, you can see the album cover of The Incredible Bongo Band's 'Bongo Rock'. One of the songs on the album, "Apache", became famous in the seventies when the pioneering hip hop DJ Kool Herc used it for mixing. In fact, many consider him one of the first to mix and scratch records to create new songs. The "Apache" break is still used today. The album cover can therefore be seen as a reference to the early pioneers of mixing, Baby's predecessors.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  110. #110
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    In the film it is revealed that Buddy's real name is Jason Van Horn; during the final confrontation between Baby and Buddy, the police radio in the parking lot can be heard from above.

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  111. #111

    The vinyl record collection in Joe's apartment implies that he may have been passionate about music before losing his hearing.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

  112. #112

    Baby Driver was partly shot in Juliette, Georgia, where Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) was filmed. The Whistle Stop Cafe still operates there.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  113. #113

    In the opening scene, as Baby walks toward the diner, he passes a music store called "B. E. Brass." The "B. E." is a nod to the song "Harlem Shuffle" by Bob & Earl.

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  114. #114

    When Baby sings along to Golden Earring's "Radar Love," the car he is in is painted Radar Red.

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  115. #115

    Chloë Grace Moretz was at one point attached to this project. She later dropped out of it, among others, along with The Little Mermaid (2018).

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  116. #116

    At roughly the 43rd minute of the film, Baby counts the money he earned delivering pizza. One of the one-dollar bills bears the website www.ThisSiteMakesYouMoney.com. As of 2019, the website no longer exists.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  117. #117

    Lily James is the only British member of the cast.

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  118. #118

    During the second heist, the characters wear Austin Powers masks from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). The Damned's "Neat Neat Neat," which plays during this sequence, includes the lyric "be a man, a certain kind of mystery man."

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  119. #119

    Almost the entire film was shot in Atlanta; in the opening walk, you can see that Doc's office is inside the Healey Building in Downtown. Oddly, the bank in the first heist (which is not a bank in real life) is in the Candler Building, less than three blocks away, not even a mile by car.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  120. #120

    The action scenes posed an interesting challenge for the filmmakers because they were timed to the music Baby listens to.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  121. #121
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Later in the film, during an ordinary driving scene, Bats, Buddy and Darling discuss their real names. Buddy says they use "code names, MONIKERS." Bats then asks Darling what her real name is, and Darling replies: "MONICA."

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  122. #122

    One of the cars used as a stunt car, a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX Limited, received a series of modifications for the film by Allpro Subaru of Alpharetta, Georgia, and further modifications for the shoot by Doug Wilkes at DBW Motorsport. These included a conversion to rear-wheel drive, upgraded rear differentials and a turbocharger from a 2004 WRX STI. It was also used in music videos for Danger Mouse's "Chase Me," Subaru's Big Boi & Run the Jewels track (featuring scenes from the film) and Sony's video for the Los Angeles premiere. Despite having "a few minor dings and scratches," being repainted from Crystal Grey Metallic and having an odometer reading of 168,000 miles, and being described as in good condition, it was auctioned via eBay in August 2017 for $69,100 (enough for two new WRXs).

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

  123. #123

    Ansel Elgort was on the list of actors who would play Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off (Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)). In most scenes of this film, he wears a black jacket with white sleeves that resembles Han Solo's classic outfit.

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  124. #124

    Edgar Wright began developing the story of Baby Driver shortly after completing production on his film A Fistful of Fingers (1995).

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  125. #125

    Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey are the fifth and sixth Oscar winners to appear in an Edgar Wright film. Jim Broadbent, Cate Blanchett and Peter Jackson appeared in Hot Fuzz (2007). Brie Larson appeared in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

  126. #126

    Two songs by Dutch groups play during the action scenes of the final heist. The first is "Hocus Pocus" by Focus, and the second is "Radar Love" by Golden Earring.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  127. #127

    Various crew members played extras in the action scenes.

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  128. #128

    During one heist, the group wore Austin Powers masks. Kevin Spacey played Dr. Evil in Goldmember (2002), in the film-within-a-film "Austinpussy."

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  129. #129

    Baby enters a coffee shop called Octane. From the moment the first bell rings as he enters to the moment the last bell rings as he leaves, he is inside for exactly 64 beats of the song. Oct- is the prefix for 8. The square of 8 is 64. Meanwhile, octane, by definition, is only a measure of a fuel's heat and pressure. The film is full of high-octane or intense car and foot chase scenes.

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  130. #130
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Buddy quotes Romeo and Juliet a few minutes before his death. William Shakespeare's play also appears in Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz (2007).

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  131. #131

    The chase scene following the second heist was partly shot on State Route 9 in Atlanta, also known as the Gladys Knight Highway.

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  132. #132

    Edgar Wright intended to use a song by The Damned on the soundtrack.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  133. #133

    Three Oscar winners appear in the film: Kevin Spacey (two awards; Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Usual Suspects (1995) and Best Actor in a Leading Role for American Beauty (1999)), Jamie Foxx (Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ray (2004)) and Paul Williams (Best Original Song for A Star Is Born (1976)).

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

  134. #134

    The film drew inspiration from The Driver (1978), Raising Arizona (1987), The Blues Brothers (1980) and Riding Bean (1989).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  135. #135

    Writer-director Edgar Wright conceived Baby Driver in 1994; he adapted the film's originally planned opening into the 2003 music video he directed for Mint Royale's "Blue Song" (Mint Royale: Blue Song (2003)), which starred Noel Fielding as a music-loving getaway driver for a group of bank robbers. A clip of the music video is briefly shown in the film as the main character switches between television channels. Emma Stone and Michael Douglas were also expected to be in the cast. Wright hired Ryan Heffington as the film's choreographer to work with the actors on their timing and movements and synchronize them with the music.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  136. #136

    Kevin Spacey and Ansel Elgort would later appear together in Billionaire Boys Club (2018).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  137. #137

    Young MC's (Marvin Young) song "Know How" includes the line "It's no hocus-pocus, I'll just get you into focus." Focus's song Hocus Pocus is also used in the film.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  138. #138

    This is Jon Hamm's second heist/crime/thriller film after The Town (2010). In The Town, Hamm plays an FBI agent investigating a robbery. In this film he plays a member of a heist crew.

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  139. #139
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    The characters' real names are revealed over the course of the film: Doc states during a tense conversation that Bats is Leon; Darling's is Monica, which Bats reveals after asking her following a heist; Buddy's is Jason, named over the police radio during the final showdown; and Baby's is, of course, Miles, which appears at the end of Debora's letter. Griff's and Doc's real names are never explicitly stated, though Griff can be assumed to be short for Griffin.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  140. #140

    Baby refers to the police as "scum" in a paraphrase of another Edgar Wright film, Hot Fuzz (2007). Both films feature a 2006 model Impreza.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  141. #141

    The film was initially set in Los Angeles, but when production moved to Georgia the setting was changed to Atlanta.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  142. #142

    This is one of three films in which Jamie Foxx plays the villain, the other two being The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

  143. #143

    In scenes where Baby is not wearing headphones or listening to music, a constant ringing is faintly audible, allowing the audience to hear Baby's tinnitus whenever it is not drowned out by music.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  144. #144

    The Mike Myers masks were meant to be the "Michael Myers" masks from Halloween (1978). Those specific masks were in fact William Shatner masks. The reason this mask was used in Halloween was that it was ordinary enough to be unsettling when worn. It was so unrecognizable that the only way to tell whose face the mask was originally was if the person was also wearing a Star Trek (1966) costume, and even then the masks looked distorted and strange.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  145. #145

    Although they play husband and wife, there is a 19-year age gap between Jon Hamm and Eiza González. Hamm was born in 1971 and González in 1990.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  146. #146

    Four of the people thanked at the end of the film appeared in or were otherwise connected to Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009): Michael Bacall played PFC Michael Zimmerman, Mike Myers played General Ed Fenech, Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the film, and Robert Rodriguez's sister played Julie LaPadite.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  147. #147

    Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey appeared in both Horrible Bosses (2011) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  148. #148
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Walter Hill, who directed The Driver, the film that inspired this one, appears in the film. When Baby goes to prison his prison number is 28071978; The Driver's release date was July 28, 1978.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

  149. #149

    Kevin Spacey and Jon Bernthal have both appeared in films in the DC universe: Spacey appeared in Superman Returns (2006) and Bernthal lent his voice to Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  150. #150

    Tom Cruise has worked with two of this film's stars: Jamie Foxx in Collateral (2004) and Jon Hamm in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  151. #151

    When Doc shouted at Baby, "Don't feed me any more lines from Monsters Inc. It pisses me off!" Coincidentally, Kevin Spacey had voiced Hopper in the Pixar film A Bug's Life.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  152. #152

    While Baby waits for coffee in Octane, Debora passes in front of the window. Baby follows her from right to left.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  153. #153

    Two Oscar winners appear in the film's cast: Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx.

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb Cast, crew and release details
  • TMDB The Movie Database entry

Sources for the entries on this page

  1. IMDb IMDbDatabase · accessed 18 Sep 2026

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