Dwight H. Little

Last updated
Dwight H. Little
Born
Dwight Hubbard Little

(1956-01-13) January 13, 1956 (age 68)
Cleveland, Ohio, US
Nationality American
Other namesDwight Little
Occupation Film director
Years active1982−present
Children3

Dwight Hubbard Little (born January 13, 1956) is an American film and television director, known for directing the films Marked for Death , Rapid Fire , Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home , Murder at 1600 and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers . He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series such as 24 , Prison Break , Dollhouse , Bones and Nikita . Little was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied film at USC. [1]

Contents

Career

Dwight Little got his first break in the film business when producer Sandy Howard asked him to shoot additional material for Triumphs of a Man Called Horse. Howard needed the film to be longer in order to be able to sell it oversees. When Little was finished, Howard asked him to make him an action film for the video market. Little made KGB: The Secret War for a budget of 300,000 dollars. From that film, Little edited a show-reel that got him the attention of several members of the Hunt-Hill family from Texas who asked him to make an action film. This became Getting Even. According to Little, the film was devised around everything the family members owned: helicopters, a ranch, a Learjet. Little was then asked by Nico Mastorakis to direct the action adventure film Bloodstone in India. [1]

Little's first chance at directing a union film was Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers . Little rejected the treatment that was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill and pitched producer Moustapha Akkad the idea for what became Halloween 4. On the basis of Halloween 4, Steven Seagal asked Little to direct his next film, which was Hard to Kill . But the studio (Warner) vetoed Seagal's choice of director and went for Bruce Malmuth instead. Little went on to make The Phantom of the Opera for producer Menahem Golan. Little got offered Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers , but declined. He worried he would be trapped in the horror genre. Little got a chance to do another action film when Steven Seagal asked Little to direct Marked for Death . The film became a modest hit and Little got a chance to make Rapid Fire for the same studio (Fox), which was an attempt to launch the career of Brandon Lee as an in-house action star for Fox. [1]

While reading an article on how the Navy had a term for when they lose a nuclear missile, Little got the idea for Broken Arrow. He pitched it at Fox. The studio asked writer Graham Yost to develop the script with Little, with Little being attached to direct. But when the script was finished early and Fox wanted to head into production, Little was still editing Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home . He decided to finish Free Willy 2 at Warner. Fox asked John Woo to direct Broken Arrow, while giving Little an executive producer's credit. Little says Woo's film bares little resemblance to what he envisioned. "I wanted to do a Tom Clancy type thriller (...). John Woo made it much lighter. John Travolta played it over the top. The movie was tongue-in-cheek and campy. But you can’t blame him, because it made a lot of money." [1]

Because Warner was pleased with how Free Willy 2 turned out, Little got the chance to direct Murder at 1600 , a conspiracy thriller starring Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane. The studio had promised Little that Murder at 1600 would open in January 1997, while Clint Eastwood's Absolute Power would open in April of the same year. A test screening was held of Murder at 1600 in December 1996. The response was positive. According to Little, somebody for Eastwood's production company Malpaso heard about the excellent test screening of Murder at 1600 and told Eastwood about it. Little: "I’m not sure Clint was even aware of our movie, but he (...) went to Bob Daly and Terry Semel, who were the chiefs at Warner Brothers, and demanded that Absolute Power be released first. He’s a smart guy. He doesn’t want to be second with another White House thriller. So we get a call that our movie was pushed back to April. It was so disappointing. Every review said: Just like last month’s Absolute Power… We looked like the copycat." [1]

After directing mostly television for almost twenty years, Little returned to feature film making with the true crime drama Last Rampage , based on the non-fiction book Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison by University of Arizona Political Science Professor James W. Clarke. The film deals with events that happened in 1978, when convicted murderer Gary Tison, played by Robert Patrick, escaped from prison with the help of his three sons. Heather Graham stars as his wife and Bruce Davison as the lawman who heads the manhunt. Little got the book from his stepson, actor Jason James Richter. Last Rampage was reviewed favorably by Variety, who praised "the no-frills efficiency" and "the brisk and suspenseful narrative". [2] Rex Reed of The Observer called the film "grim and hopelessly despondent, but superbly acted and strangely effective." [3] Little himself called it "the most honest" of his films. [1]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorExecutive
Producer		WriterNotes
1985 KGB: The Secret War YesNoStory
1986 Getting Even YesNoStory
1988 Bloodstone YesNoNo
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers YesNoNo [4]
1989 The Phantom of the Opera YesNoNo [5] [6]
1990 Marked for Death YesNoNo
1992 Rapid Fire YesNoNo
1995 Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home YesNoNoas Dwight Little
1996 Broken Arrow NoYesNoas Dwight Little; Directed by John Woo
1997 Murder at 1600 YesNoNoas Dwight Little
2004 Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid YesNoNoas Dwight Little
2010 Tekken YesNoNoas Dwight Little
2017 Last Rampage YesYesNoas Dwight Little
2023Natty KnocksYesNoNo

Television

TV movies

TV series

YearTitleNotes
1989 Freddy's Nightmares as Dwight Little; Episode: "Do Dreams Bleed?"
1997-99 Millennium as Dwight Little; 3 episodes
1998-02 The Practice as Dwight Little; 9 episodes
1999 Strange World
2001 Wolf Lake as Dwight Little; Episode: "The Changing"
Citizen Baines as Dwight Little; Episode: "Lost and Found"
2002 The X-Files as Dwight Little; Episode: "Scary Monsters"
John Doe as Dwight Little; Episode: "Low Art"
2003 Veritas: The Quest as Dwight Little; Episode: "Avalon"
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury as Dwight Little; Episode: "Vigilante"
Just Legal as Dwight Little; Episode: "The Black Box"
2005-06 The Inside as Dwight Little; 2 episodes
2005-09 Prison Break as Dwight Little; 5 episodes
2006 24 as Dwight Little; 2 episodes
Vanished as Dwight Little; Episode: "The Black Box"
Day Break as Dwight Little; Episode: "What If They're Stuck?"
2006-17 Bones as Dwight Little; 23 episodes
2009 Castle as Dwight Little; Episode: "Inventing the Girl"
Dollhouse as Dwight Little; 2 episodes
2010 Tower Prep as Dwight Little; Episode: "Field Trip"
2011 Body of Proof as Dwight Little; Episode: "Second Chances"
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior as Dwight Little; Episode: "Night Hawks"
2011-13 Nikita as Dwight Little; 5 episodes
2011-14 Drop Dead Diva as Dwight Little; 4 episodes
2012 The Finder as Dwight Little; Episode: "Little Mean Green"
2014 Matador as Dwight Little; Episode: "Enter the Worm"
2014-16 Sleepy Hollow as Dwight Little; 3 episodes
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series as Dwight Little; 4 episodes
2014-17 Scorpion as Dwight Little; 3 episodes
2015 Arrow as Dwight Little; Episode: "Public Enemy"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Dwight Little; Episode: Among Us Hide...
2017 Daytime Divas as Dwight Little; Episode: "Truth's a Mutha"
2022 9-1-1 as Dwight Little; Episode: "Boston"

Video games director

Related Research Articles

<i>Above the Law</i> (1988 film) 1988 action film by Andrew Davis

Above the Law is a 1988 American crime action thriller film cowritten, coproduced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, who was also a producer, and stars Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean and Henry Silva. Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA agent, Aikido specialist and a Chicago policeman who discovers a conspiracy upon investigating the mysterious shipment of military explosives seized from a narcotics dealer.

<i>Marked for Death</i> 1990 action film directed by Dwight H. Little

Marked for Death is a 1990 American action film directed by Dwight H. Little. The film stars Steven Seagal as John Hatcher, a former DEA troubleshooter who returns to his Illinois hometown to find it taken over by a posse of vicious Jamaican drug dealers led by Screwface. Using a combination of fear and Obeah, a Jamaican syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin similar to Haitian vodou and Santería, Screwface rules the drug trade in Lincoln Heights.

<i>Under Siege</i> 1992 film by Andrew Davis

Under Siege is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis, written by J. F. Lawton, and starring Steven Seagal as a former Navy SEAL who must intercept a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones, after they commandeer the U.S. Navy battleship Missouri.

<i>Out for Justice</i> 1991 film directed by John Flynn

Out for Justice is a 1991 American action film directed by John Flynn and co-produced by and starring Steven Seagal as Gino Felino, a veteran police detective who sets out to avenge his partner Bobby's murder by killing Richie, the trigger-happy, drug-addicted mafioso culprit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danielle Harris</span> American actress (born 1977)

Danielle Andrea Harris is an American actress. She is known as a "scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the Halloween franchise: Halloween 4 (1988) and Halloween 5 (1989) as Jamie Lloyd, and Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009) as Annie Brackett. Other such roles include Tosh in Urban Legend (1998), Belle in Stake Land (2010), and Marybeth Dunston in the Hatchet series (2010–17). In 2012, she was inducted into the Fangoria Hall of Fame.

<i>Rapid Fire</i> (1992 film) 1992 American action film

Rapid Fire is a 1992 American action film directed by Dwight H. Little and starring Brandon Lee, Powers Boothe and Nick Mancuso. The film was released in the United States on August 21, 1992.

<i>Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home</i> 1995 American film

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home is a 1995 American family adventure drama film directed by Dwight Little from a screenplay by Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman and John Mattson. It is the sequel to the 1993 film Free Willy and second installment in the Free Willy film series distributed by Warner Bros. under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. Jason James Richter, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, Michael Madsen and Mykelti Williamson reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include Jon Tenney and Elizabeth Peña. Unlike the previous film where Keiko played Willy, a robotic double created by Edge Innovations was used to play the eponymous whale while the Free Willy Keiko Foundation devised a plan to bring Keiko to the Oregon Coast Aquarium where he would be rehabilitated from poor health. However, Keiko did make an uncredited appearance, reprising his role as Willy through an archival clip shown in the movie.

<i>Magnum Force</i> 1973 film

Magnum Force is a 1973 American neo-noir action thriller film and the second to feature Clint Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan after the 1971 film Dirty Harry. Ted Post, who had previously worked with Eastwood on Rawhide and Hang 'Em High, directed the film. The screenplay was written by John Milius and Michael Cimino. The film score was composed by Lalo Schifrin. This film features early appearances by David Soul, Tim Matheson and Robert Urich. At 123 minutes, it is the longest of the five Dirty Harry films.

Michael Myers (<i>Halloween</i>) Fictional character in the Halloween franchise

Michael Myers is a character from the slasher film series Halloween. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) as a young boy who murders his elder sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he returns home to Haddonfield, Illinois, to murder more teenagers. In the original Halloween, the adult Michael Myers, referred to as The Shape in the closing credits, was portrayed by Nick Castle for most of the film and substituted by Tony Moran in the final scene where Michael's face is revealed. The character was created by John Carpenter and has been featured in twelve films, as well as novels, video games, and comic books.

<i>Blood Work</i> (film) 2002 film by Clint Eastwood

Blood Work is a 2002 American mystery thriller film starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also produced. It co-stars Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesús, and Anjelica Huston. It is based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Michael Connelly.

<i>Halloween: Resurrection</i> 2002 film by Rick Rosenthal

Halloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II in 1981. Larry Brand and Sean Hood devised the screenplay. The film is a direct sequel to Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later and the eighth installment overall in the Halloween franchise. It stars Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tyra Banks and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Brad Loree as the primary villain Michael Myers. This was the final installment of the H20 timeline of the Halloween franchise, which had just been rebooted with the previous film in 1998, before it was rebooted again in 2007 and again in 2018. The film follows Myers continuing his murderous rampage in his hometown of Haddonfield when his childhood house is used for a live internet horror show.

<i>Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers</i> 1988 film by Dwight H. Little

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 American slasher film directed by Dwight H. Little, written by Alan B. McElroy, and starring Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, and Danielle Harris in her film debut. It is the fourth entry in the Halloween franchise and marks the return of Michael Myers, as the primary antagonist, after his absence in Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), a standalone film.

<i>Murder at 1600</i> 1997 American film

Murder at 1600 is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Dwight Little and starring Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurie Strode</span> Character in the Halloween franchise

Laurie Strode is a character from the Halloween series. She first appeared in Halloween (1978) as a high school student who becomes targeted by serial killer Michael Myers, in which she was portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis. Created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Laurie appeared in nine of thirteen films in the series. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, and comic books.

<i>Dirty Harry</i> (film series) American action film series

Dirty Harry is an American neo-noir action thriller film series featuring San Francisco Police Department Homicide Division Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. There are five films: Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool (1988). Clint Eastwood portrayed Callahan in all five films and directed Sudden Impact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Loomis</span> Fictional character

Dr. Samuel "Sam" J. Loomis is a fictional character in the Halloween franchise. A main protagonist of the overall series, Loomis appears on-screen in eight of the thirteen Halloween films, first appearing in John Carpenter's original 1978 film. Donald Pleasence portrayed the character in five films, with Malcolm McDowell taking on the role in the 2007 reimagining and its sequel. In both portrayals, Loomis is introduced as the psychiatrist of series antagonist Michael Myers, driven to pursue and restrain his murderous former patient. He also appears in a flashback in Halloween Kills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Melton</span> American dramatist

Patrick Melton is an American screenwriter, producer and novelist.

<i>Halloween</i> (1978 film) Film by John Carpenter

Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed, co-written, and scored by John Carpenter. Starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis, with P. J. Soles and Nancy Loomis in supporting roles, the film is set mostly in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. The plot centers on a mental patient, Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night when he was a child. Fifteen years later, having escaped and returned to his hometown, he stalks teenage babysitter Laurie Strode and her friends while under pursuit by his psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis.

<i>A Killer in the Family</i> 1983 television film directed by Richard T. Heffron

A Killer in the Family is a 1983 American made-for-television crime film directed by Richard T. Heffron. The film is based on the Tison v. Arizona case, which took place in Arizona in 1978. The film first aired on ABC on October 30, 1983, and was released on DVD by Warner Home Video in 2010.

<i>Last Rampage</i> 2017 American film

Last Rampage is a 2017 American crime drama film directed by Dwight Little. The screenplay by Alvaro Rodriguez and Jason Rosenblatt is based on the non-fiction book Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison by University of Arizona Political Science Professor James W. Clarke, and details the true story of Tison's 1978 prison escape and subsequent murders. The film stars Robert Patrick as Tison, Heather Graham as his wife Dorothy, and Chris Browning as his accomplice Randy Greenawalt. Bruce Davison plays a fictional law enforcement official pursuing Tison, and Alex MacNicoll, Skyy Moore, and Casey Thomas Brown portray Tison's three sons.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dwight Little interview". THE FLASHBACK FILES. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  2. ↑ Leydon, Joe (2017-09-22). "Film Review: 'Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  3. ↑ "Grim 'Last Rampage' Saved by Superb Acting". Observer. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  4. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (2007). Horror Films of the 1980s. Daniel Chung. p. 654. ISBN   978-0786455010.
  5. ↑ "Schoelen, Jill (Final Girls)". Dread Central. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  6. ↑ Kehr, Dave (Nov 7, 1989). "'Phantom' Appeal Is Wearing Thin". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.