Paul Gerrard is a British concept designer best known for his designs of characters and monsters for films such as Wrath of the Titans, Battle Los Angeles and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. [1]
Specializing in computer-generated imagery (CGI), Gerrard's common themes include fusion of organic tissue with machines and plant life.
Gerrard is based in the North East of England and is active in the CGI community, having worked as a concept artist for the 2015 film Seventh Son [2] and the 2016-17 television series The Shannara Chronicles .
An avid fan of the Hellraiser horror films, Gerrard worked alongside Director Mike Le Han to develop a 'pitch trailer' Hellraiser: Origins in an attempt to reboot the series. [3] Released on Halloween 2013, the two-minute long picture was filmed at Black Island Studios [4] in North Acton, London, featuring a cast of over a hundred extras [5] and utilizing green screen effects provided by Shade VFX (USA), Delicate Machines (Canada) and Fugitive Studios (UK). [6]
Despite gaining the approval of thousands of Hellraiser fans on Social Media, Hellraiser: Origins did not progress to a feature presentation, with the franchise creator Clive Barker announcing his intent to produce his own reboot along with Dimension Pictures. [7]
After it became clear that the production of a feature-length Hellraiser: Origins would not be going ahead, Gerrard began a Kickstarter project to self-publish an art book. With over a hundred and twenty pages, Company of Shadows contains an in-depth exploration into the themes Gerrard used to develop Hellraiser: Origins, as well as new content due to be used in future projects. [8]
On April 30, 2014 the Kickstarter project ended having raised $13,225 in pledges, exceeding its target of $10,000 by thirty-five percent. Six-hundred and fifty-five copies were produced. [9]
Clive Barker is an English playwright, author, film director and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the Books of Blood, which established him as a leading horror writer. He has since written many novels and other works. His fiction has been adapted into films, notably the Hellraiser series, the first installment of which he also wrote and directed; and the Candyman series. He was also an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an entertainment franchise created by American comic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained in ninjitsu who fight evil in New York City.
Hellraiser is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot involves a mystical puzzle box which summons the Cenobites, a group of extra-dimensional, sadomasochistic beings who cannot differentiate between pain and pleasure. The leader of the Cenobites is portrayed by Doug Bradley, and identified in the sequels as "Pinhead".
Nightbreed is a 1990 American dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his 1988 novella Cabal. It stars Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, and Doug Bradley. The film follows an unstable mental patient named Aaron Boone who is falsely led to believe by his doctor that he is a serial killer. Tracked down by the police, his doctor, and his girlfriend Lori, Boone eventually finds refuge in an abandoned cemetery called Midian among a tribe of monsters and outcasts known as the "Nightbreed" who hide from humanity.
Pinhead, Lead Cenobite, or the Hell Priest, is the main antagonist of the Hellraiser franchise, first appearing as an unnamed figure in the 1986 Clive Barker novella The Hellbound Heart. When Clive Barker adapted the novella into the 1987 film Hellraiser, he referred to the character in early drafts as "the Priest" but the final film gave no name. The production and make-up crew nicknamed the character "Pinhead" and fans accepted the sobriquet, which was then used in press materials, tie-in media, and on-screen in some of the sequel films, although Clive Barker himself despises the nickname. In the 2011 comic book series Hellraiser published by BOOM! Studios, Barker refers to the character as "the Priest." In that comic book series and the subsequent series Hellraiser: The Dark Watch, Cenobites refer to him as holding the title of "the Hell Priest" or "the Pontifex", making him "Hell's Pope." Nearly thirty years after The Hellbound Heart was published, Barker's 2015 novel The Scarlet Gospels cements the character's official title and rank is "the Hell Priest" and that he hates the nickname "Pinhead." In a later novella, Hellraiser: The Toll, it is said the character is also known to some as the Cold Man.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 martial arts comedy-drama superhero film based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It is the first theatrical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Directed by Steve Barron from a screenplay by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck, it stars Judith Hoag and Elias Koteas with the voices of Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist, Corey Feldman, and Josh Pais. The film follows the turtles on a quest to save their master, Splinter, with their new allies, April O'Neil and Casey Jones, from the Shredder and his Foot Clan.
TMNT is a 2007 computer-animated superhero film based on the superhero team the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is the fourth theatrical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and is the first film made with computer-generated imagery (CGI), as well as the first feature film in the franchise in 14 years. Written and directed by Kevin Munroe, the film stars the voices of James Arnold Taylor, Nolan North, Mikey Kelley, Mitchell Whitfield, Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mako, Kevin Smith, Patrick Stewart, and Zhang Ziyi with narration by Laurence Fishburne.
Hellraiser: Inferno is a 2000 American horror film. It is the fifth installment in the Hellraiser series, and the first Hellraiser film to be released direct-to-video. It was directed by Scott Derrickson, in his feature-length directorial debut, and released on October 3, 2000. The film concerns a corrupt detective who discovers Lemarchand's box at a crime scene, which results in his life gradually unraveling. Reviews of the film were mixed, largely because the film was not originally written to be a Hellraiser sequel, and the tone resembles more of a psychological horror film than a body horror film as the first four films were.
Hellraiser: Deader is a 2005 American slasher horror film and the seventh installment in the Hellraiser series. Directed by Rick Bota, the original script was written by Neal Marshall Stevens. As with Hellraiser: Inferno and Hellraiser: Hellseeker it began as an unrelated spec script, which was subsequently rewritten as a Hellraiser film. Like Inferno, series creator Clive Barker did not have even a cursory involvement in the production of Deader.
The Hellraiser franchise consists of science fiction supernatural horror installments including four theatrical films, six straight-to-home video films, various comic books, and additional merchandise and media. Based on the novella by English author Clive Barker titled The Hellbound Heart, the franchise centers around the Cenobites including the primary antagonist named Pinhead. The overall plot of the franchise focuses on a puzzle box that opens a gateway to the Hell-like realm of the Cenobite lifeforms called the Lament Configuration. The Cenobites are an order of former-humans turned-monsters, who harvest human souls to torture in their sadistic experiments. Barker, who created the franchise and served as writer/director of the original film, stated that he signed away the story and character rights to the production company prior to the release of the first film, not realizing the critical and financial success it would be.
The Scarlet Gospels is a 2015 horror novel by author Clive Barker which acts as a continuation to both his previous novella The Hellbound Heart and his canon of Harry D'Amour stories. The book concerns the Hell Priest, the demonic Cenobite nicknamed "Pinhead", and his efforts to gain power. Occult detective Harry D'Amour must journey into Hell to rescue his friend and stop the Hell Priest's plans. The book was the first in which the Hell Priest was officially given a name by Clive Barker, who disliked the nickname 'Pinhead' given his character by others.
Nick Percival is a British graphic artist and graphic novelist primarily known for his published comic book, concept artwork and career in computer animation directing.
Jan Steven Strnad is an American writer of comic books, horror, and science fiction. He is known for his many collaborations with artist Richard Corben, as well as his work in the Star Wars expanded universe, the majority of which has been published by Dark Horse Comics. He has also written for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Eclipse Comics, and Fantagraphics Books.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the fictional comic book team created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and have appeared in six feature-length films since their debut. The first film, titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was released in 1990 at the height of the franchise's popularity and was a commercial success. The success of the film garnered two direct sequels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993. During a revival of the franchise prompted by the successful 2003–2009 TV series, a separate computer-generated imagery (CGI) film titled TMNT was released in 2007. A fifth film by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies was released on August 8, 2014, and served as a reboot to the original live-action films. A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, was released on June 3, 2016. The six films have grossed $1.2 billion worldwide. A seventh film, which will be a CGI reboot, is in development and is scheduled to be released on August 4, 2023.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is a 2.5D fighting game for the Wii and PlayStation 2 video game consoles featuring characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It was developed by Game Arts in cooperation with Mirage Studios, and features similar gameplay to the Super Smash Bros. series. The game was released by Ubisoft in September 2009 in celebration of the TMNT franchise's 25th anniversary. Upon release, the game received mixed critical reception.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American 3D rendered computer animated television series based on the fictional superhero team. Headed by Ciro Nieli, the series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from September 28, 2012 to November 12, 2017. It was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and LowBar Productions. Bardel Entertainment handled layout and CG animation services. The series begins with the turtles emerging from their sewer home for the first time. They use their ninjutsu training to fight enemies in present-day New York City.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2014 American superhero film based on the superhero team of the same name. It is the fifth theatrical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and the first in the reboot series. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and written by Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Evan Daugherty, the film stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Danny Woodburn, Abby Elliott, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, and Alan Ritchson, as well as the voices of Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shalhoub.
Hellraiser: Origins was a cancelled independent film project based on Clive Barker's Hellraiser films, and was presented as a two-minute long pitch trailer directed by Mike Le Han. Written and produced by Paul Gerrard, the trailer was intended to be a reboot of Hellraiser, but due to multiple factors, it did not progress to filming as a feature film.
Hellraiser: Judgment is a 2018 American horror film written and directed by Gary J. Tunnicliffe, based on the characters created by Clive Barker. The tenth installment in the Hellraiser film series, the film stars Damon Carney, Randy Wayne, Alexandra Harris, Heather Langenkamp, and Paul T. Taylor, and centers on three police detectives who, investigating a series of murders, are confronted by the denizens of hell. The film expands the fictional universe by introducing a new faction of hell: the Stygian Inquisition. While the Cenobites offer sadomasochistic pleasures to humans that enter their dominion, the Inquisition processes the souls of sinners. Tunnicliffe plays the Inquisition's auditor, a prominent role in the film.
Hellraiser is an upcoming American horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, from a screen story by David S. Goyer. Intended to serve as a reboot of Clive Barker's 1987 film of the same name and the eleventh installment overall of the Hellraiser franchise, the film will adhere closely to the source material novella by Clive Barker, The Hellbound Heart. The film stars Odessa A'zion and Jamie Clayton. The project is a co-production between Spyglass Media Group and Phantom Four Films.