Gerard Johnstone is a New Zealand screenwriter and director. He is known for the comedy sitcom series ''

The Jaquie Brown Diaries ''The Jaquie Brown Diaries'' is a satirical New Zealand sitcom in which real-life television personality Jaquie Brown plays a fictionalised, over-ambitious, status-obsessed version of herself. The series was created by Gerard Johnstone, Jaquie B ...

'' and the horror films '' Housebound'' and ''

M3GAN ''M3GAN'' is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper and a story by Cooper and James Wan, who produces alongside Jason Blum. The film stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, ...

''.

Early life and career

Johnstone was born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, New Zealand, where he attended Verdon College. In the early 2000s, Johnstone and Jaquie Brown worked together at C4. A few years later, they created a production company, Young, Gifted & Brown, to make the New Zealand sitcom ''

'', based on a satirical fictionalised version of Brown. It began airing in 2008 with Johnstone serving as writer and director. In March 2014, Johnstone made his directorial debut with '' Housebound'' at the South by Southwest festival. The comedy horror film was released on 17 October 2014 in select theatres and VOD. The following year, Johnstone approached New Zealand weightlifter Sonia Manaena, who set the world record in 2013 for

deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises ...

ing, about directing a film detailing her life being a competitive weightlifter. Filming was scheduled to begin in 2016, but as of 2023 Johnstone said, "It's been cooking in the background for a long time". In 2016, he released ''Terry Teo'', a reboot of the 1985 television series, ''

Terry and the Gunrunners ''Terry and the Gunrunners'' is a book by New Zealand authors Bob Kerr and Stephen Ballantyne. The authors created the comic book ''Terry and the Gunrunners'' in 1982 as part of a series that also included ''Terry and the Yodelling Bull'' (1986) ...

''. By August 2017, Johnstone was reported to be in the running to direct

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

' '' Dark Universe'', but instead was hired to polish the script. Johnstone directed episodes of the first season of ''

The New Legends of Monkey ''The New Legends of Monkey'' is a television series inspired by ''Monkey'', a Japanese production from the 1970s and 1980s which garnered a cult following in New Zealand, Australia, the U.K. and South Africa. The Japanese production was based o ...

'', airing in 2018. That same year, he signed on to direct the comedy horror film, ''

''. Producer

James Wan James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the '' Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjur ...

chose Johnstone for the job after admiring his ability to balance horror and comedy elements in ''Housebound''. ''M3GAN'' was released on 6 January 2023 to commercial and critical success. It grossed over $30 million on its opening weekend and garnered positive reviews.

Personal life

Johnstone is married. He has two sons, born in 2012 and 2014.

Filmography

Film Television

References

External links

*
Gerard Johnstone
at

NZ On Screen NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Gerard Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century New Zealand male writers English-language film directors People educated at Verdon College People from Invercargill New Zealand film directors New Zealand screenwriters New Zealand television directors New Zealand television writers New Zealand male screenwriters