Joe Johnston | |
---|---|
Born | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
Education | ArtCenter College of Design |
Alma mater | California State University |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1977–present |
Notable work |
Joe Johnston (born c. 1950) is an American film director, producer, writer, and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing effects-driven films, including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989); The Rocketeer (1991); Jumanji (1995); Jurassic Park III (2001); The Wolfman (2010); and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
Johnston was born in Austin, Texas, [1] and attended California State University, Long Beach, and Pasadena's Art Center College of Design, both for industrial design.
Much of the work at the beginning of Johnston's screen career combined design and special effects. He began his career as a concept artist and effects technician on the first Star Wars film, directed by George Lucas, co-created the design of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back , [2] and was art director on one of the effects teams for the sequel Return of the Jedi . His association with Lucas would later prove fruitful, when he became one of four to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Lucas and Steven Spielberg's film Raiders of the Lost Ark . [3] Johnston continued to work on many films as an effects expert.
He was also associate producer on fantasy Willow , and production designer on two mid-80s TV movies which featured the Ewoks seen in Return of the Jedi .
Johnston is also author of Star Wars novel The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense, which ties into Return of the Jedi (New York: Random House, 1984; ISBN 0-394-86568-5, ISBN 0-394-96568-X). [4]
In 1984, now 34, Johnston went to Lucas and stated his desire to leave Lucasfilm for a year. However, Lucas offered him to go to USC School of Cinematic Arts and study there for a year, complete with paid tuition and half-salary that would let Johnston take any class he wanted. [5] [6] Johnston left after a year, saying he "was asked not to return" because he "broke too many rules". [7]
Johnston made his directorial debut in 1989 with hit comedy adventure Honey, I Shrunk the Kids , starring Rick Moranis. He followed it with comic-book adaptation The Rocketeer (1991). The film was a commercial failure, as was his next, the animated and live-action The Pagemaster , starring Macaulay Culkin. Johnston rebounded, directing the family hit Jumanji , starring Robin Williams. The film overcame lukewarm reviews to gross over $260 million. [8]
Johnston was set to direct Hulk , [9] but dropped out in July 1997. Johnston then switched gears from effects-driven action films to the more personal October Sky (1999), starring a teenage Jake Gyllenhaal as a 1950s West Virginia high school student who dreams of being a rocket scientist for NASA against his father's wishes.
Johnston's first project of the 2000s was the sequel Jurassic Park III , which made over US$300 million at the box office. Johnston followed it with western Hidalgo , starring Viggo Mortensen. Johnston then took a six-year directorial break before signing on at a month's notice to take over the 2010 remake of 1941 horror classic The Wolfman . Shot in England, the film starred Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.
In part thanks to his experience with the period superhero film The Rocketeer, Johnston was selected to direct Marvel Studios superhero adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger . Released on July 22, 2011, [10] the film stars Chris Evans as the comic book hero and Hugo Weaving as his archenemy the Red Skull. In 2012, Johnston directed the thriller Not Safe for Work for Blumhouse Productions.
On December 12, 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Johnston would direct 32 days of reshoots on the film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms , due to its director Lasse Hallström being unavailable. [11]
On December 5, 2019, it was reported that Joe Johnston was in negotiations with Disney to direct Shrunk, a legacy sequel to Honey, I Shrunk The Kids . [12] [13]
Film
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1989 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | |
1991 | The Rocketeer | |
1994 | The Pagemaster | Live-action sequences |
1995 | Jumanji | |
1999 | October Sky | |
2001 | Jurassic Park III | |
2004 | Hidalgo | |
2010 | The Wolfman | |
2011 | Captain America: The First Avenger | Also executive producer |
2014 | Not Safe for Work | |
2018 | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | Director of reshoots and oversaw post-production; [14] Received co-director credit along with Lasse Hallström [15] |
Television
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Episode "Princeton, February 1916" |
2015 | Lumen | TV movie; Also executive producer |
Film
Year | Title | Director | Role |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Star Wars | George Lucas | Visual effects artist / Cameo as "Death Star Trooper" |
1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Irvin Kershner | Visual effects artist and art director / Cameo as "Captain Shawn Valdez" |
1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Steven Spielberg | Visual effects artist and art director |
1983 | Return of the Jedi | Richard Marquand | Art director |
1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Steven Spielberg | |
1986 | Howard the Duck | Willard Huyck | Ultralight sequence designer |
1987 | Batteries Not Included | Matthew Robbins | Second unit director and production manager |
1988 | Willow | Ron Howard | Associate producer |
1989 | Always | Steven Spielberg | Aerial sequence designer |
1999 | The Iron Giant | Brad Bird | Designer of the Iron Giant |
2014 | The Lawful Truth | Mollie Fitzgerald | Cameo as "Captain Waters" |
Television
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1978–1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Effects illustration and design |
1984 | The Ewok Adventure | Production designer (TV movie) |
1985 | Ewoks: The Battle for Endor | |
1985–1986 | Star Wars: Droids – The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | Screenwriter (Episode "Coby and the Starhunters"); Design consultant (Special: ''The Great Heep") |
2017 | The Creeps | Executive producer (TV short) |
2020 | Prop Culture | Himself (Episode "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids") |
2022 | Light & Magic | Himself (5 episodes) |
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Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began production on the original Star Wars, now the fourth episode of the Skywalker Saga.
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Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a 1989 American comic science fiction film. It is the first installment of a film franchise and served as the directorial debut of Joe Johnston. The film stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, and Kristine Sutherland. In the film, a struggling inventor accidentally shrinks his kids, along with the neighbors' kids, down to the size of a quarter-inch. After being accidentally thrown out with the trash, they must work together and venture their way back through a backyard wilderness filled with dangerous insects and man-made hazards.
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy is a 2004 documentary film directed by Kevin Burns and narrated by Robert Clotworthy. It documents the making of the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983), and their impact on popular culture.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main Star Wars franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The trilogy consists of episodes VII through IX, chronologically following the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, serving as the final act of the "Skywalker saga". Lucas had planned a sequel trilogy as early as 1976, but canceled it by 1981. He produced only the first six episodes, and for a time described these as comprising the complete story. The sequel trilogy concept was revived when the Walt Disney Company entered negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm in 2011. Lucas produced new story treatments, but these were largely discarded. Both the acquisition and plans to produce the trilogy were announced in late 2012.
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves is a 1997 American science fiction comedy film, and the third installment in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film series. The film marks the directorial debut of cinematographer Dean Cundey, who previously served as director of photographer for a 4D ride known as Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! which debuted in 1994.
The Rocketeer is a 1991 American period superhero science fiction film from Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures. It was produced by Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon, and Lloyd Levin, directed by Joe Johnston, and stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, and Tiny Ron Taylor. It is based on the character of the same name created by comic book artist and writer Dave Stevens.
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James Morris is an American film producer, production executive and visual effects producer. He is currently general manager and president of Pixar. Previously, he held key positions at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for 17 years.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is an American media franchise consisting of a series of family-science fiction-comedy films and a television adaptation, among other works, based on a concept created by Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, and an original story co-written by Gordon, Yuzna, and Ed Naha. Following the release of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), and its subsequent financial and critical success, two sequels and a television series followed; titled Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997), and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, respectively. Another sequel titled Shrunk entered development in 2019.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure was a playground at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It was located in the Streets of America area and was based on Disney's 1989 film, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The playground, which opened a year and a half after the film, featured 30-foot-tall (9.1 m) blades of grass, and was themed as a movie set for the giant backyard scenes from the film. Kids could roam through the playground, exploring giant ants and a huge dog's nose.
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As previously reported, the pic's original director Joe Johnston will be back