If you're going to successfully commit a heist, you'll need to make sure you're properly disguised. Baby Driver's second gang of thieves made sure to do this, only due to miscommunication, the criminals were wearing Austin Powers masks during the robbery rather than the pre-agreed upon ones resembling Michael Myers from the Halloween series. It was a mistake that made the criminals look less intimidating, but was also one of the more amusing moments in the latest Edgar Wright-directed film. But as it turns out, Baby Driver's Austin Powers mask moment wasn't planned for ahead of time, instead being drafted due to rights issues.
As those who've seen Baby Driver will remember, the movie's second heist saw Ansel Elgort's Baby being the getaway driver for Jamie Foxx's Bats, Flea's Eddie "No-Nose" and Lanny Joon's JD. Originally the scene was supposed to unfold with just one of the thieves wearing that particular mask, while the other two would wear the actual Michael Myers masks. But when the production couldn't get proper clearance those slasher disguises, the script was adjusted after getting Mike Myers and Warner Bros' blessing to have all three men wear masks modeled after the Saturday Night Live alum's comedic character. Wright, however, forgot to keep one of these masks for himself. He recalled to THR:
I didn't think about that, but I probably should have. The other funny thing about it that was once Jamie [Foxx] was in the mask, he started providing extra dialogue, so there are a lot of extra Austin Powers-isms. It was funny to have Jamie Foxx, Oscar-winning actor, wearing a rubber Mike Myers mask.
For those who need a refresher on Baby Driver's Austin Powers mask scene (including JD, the guy who screwed up the masks, mistaking Michael Myers for Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th series), check out the clip below.
Along with being a successful change to the Baby Driver script, the Austin Powers mask scene had also led to those particular disguises becoming a popular purchase this Halloween season, selling out at places like Amazon and eBay. Considering that Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is also celebrating its 20th anniversary, the shagadelic spy extraordinaire is experiencing quite the resurgence in popularity. As for Baby Driver itself, it has cemented itself as one of 2017's biggest theatrical successes, earning nearly universal critical acclaim and collecting over $226 million worldwide off a $34 million budget (making it Edgar Wright's highest-grossing movie as director).
You can watch Baby Driver for yourself now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on what Edgar Wright has coming up, and read through our 2017 premiere guide to find out when this year's remaining movies are coming out.
