BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — “So this is a blow gun,” Brian Grazer said during an interview in his office. “It shoots a very sharp dart.”

Mr. Grazer, the madcap producer behind some of the biggest TV and movie hits of the last 40 years, held the slim weapon to his pursed lips. He pointed it at a target-practice poster about 10 feet away and blew forcefully — thwack.

“Crazy, right?” he said. “Don’t worry. You’re a thousand percent safe.”

Thwack!

The first dart had gone slightly off course. But the second was affixed to the tip of the nose of the bad guy on the target. Mr. Grazer giggled with delight.

Without knowing it — or perhaps knowing exactly — Mr. Grazer had supplied a suitable opening scene for an article about his effort to remain relevant in Hollywood. Only the real-life target is a moving one.