EXCLUSIVE: 87North, the production company of Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, has hired veteran producer and executive Braden Aftergood to help lead the company’s film division.
Aftergood comes to 87North after working alongside them as a producer on their Nobody action-thrillers starring Bob Odenkirk, including Nobody 2, which Universal released on August 15. He was most recently a founding partner at Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions, where he produced the superhero film Samaritan, and exec produced titles like Netflix’s Stallone doc, Sly, Stallone’s hit Paramount+ series Tulsa King from Taylor Sheridan, and Fox’s survival competition series Extracted.
Before co-founding Balboa, Aftergood ran his own company, Eighty Two Films, where he produced Nobody and served as an EP on Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River and Academy Award–nominated Hell or High Water. Earlier in his career, he was Senior Vice President of Features at Peter Berg’s Film 44, executive producing Berg’s acclaimed war drama Lone Survivor and the feature take on the board game Battleship.
In a statement to Deadline, 87North’s McCormick said, “David and I are genuinely thrilled to welcome Braden to the 87North family. His outstanding track record as a producer and seasoned production executive, coupled with his deep industry relationships make him an ideal fit for this next chapter of growth. Having Braden on board significantly elevates our capabilities at 87North, strengthening both our creative vision and executive leadership. His arrival has accelerated our ability to scale production and broaden the reach of our current slate. In addition, his presence has already attracted new projects to the company that we look forward to announcing in the coming months.”
Said Aftergood, “It’s an honor to join Kelly, David and the team at 87 North. I’ve been fortunate to make movies with them and I’ve been fortunate to call them my friends. They are both exceptional producers and their success is no accident. I grew up loving and wanting to make action movies, and I am extraordinarily happy to be joining a company whose mission is to honor the genre and the community which brings these films to life.”
87North is the production company behind action tentpoles such as The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde, Nobody, Nobody 2, Violent Night, Love Hurts, and John Wick. Their films have earned a combined total of over $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office. Beyond their own filmmaking efforts, McCormick and Leitch are widely recognized for leading the initiative on behalf of the stunt community to confirm Achievement in Stunt Design as an official Oscar category, with that award to be presented starting in 2028.
Upcoming releases for 87North include Amazon MGM’s Leitch-helmed How To Rob a Bank, which hits theaters on September 4, 2026; Ballerina Overdrive (Amazon MGM); IFC Films’ Over Your Dead Body starring Jason Segal and Samara Weaving, and directed by Jorma Taccone; and Violent Night 2, Universal’s sequel to the 2022 holiday box office hit starring David Harbour, which is slated for release on December 4, 2026. In development are Fast & Loose (Netflix) starring Will Smith and a film adaptation of the video game Just Cause directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.
87North is represented by CAA, JSSK, and 42West.