Patrick Hughes (born May 13, 1978) is an Australian film director and screenwriter.

Early life

Hughes was born in Black Rock, a suburb of Melbourne. He started making short films when he was young. Hughes attended film school at the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...

, graduating in 1999.

Career

After making a string of high-profile commercials and shorts, and multiple failed attempts to option a script for an action/

western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...

, he decided to direct it himself under a short schedule and low budget, in what would eventually become the 2010 film '' Red Hill'' starring Ryan Kwanten, Steve Bisley and Tom E. Lewis. Hughes' various commercials and previous 2008

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

Signs Signs may refer to: * ''Signs'' (2002 film), a 2002 film by M. Night Shyamalan * ''Signs'' (TV series) (Polish: ''Znaki'') is a 2018 Polish-language television series * ''Signs'' (journal), a journal of women's studies *Signs (band), an American ...

'' caught the attention of Hollywood star

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

, who was looking for 'new blood' to direct the third installment of the lucrative '' The Expendables'' franchise. Hughes filmed ''

The Expendables 3 ''The Expendables 3'' is a 2014 American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in ''The Expendables'' franchise and the sequel to ''The ...

'' from August to October 2013 and the film held its world premiere in London on 4 August 2014. Hughes was announced as the director of the remake of the 2011 Indonesian action film '' The Raid: Redemption'' with Taylor Kitsch to star, but by October 2015 once both Kitsch and Screen Gems had dropped out of the project Hughes also dropped out as director. Hughes next directed the 2017

action comedy film Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of a ...

'' The Hitman's Bodyguard'', starring

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

, Samuel L. Jackson,

Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy F ...

, and

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as th ...

, which earned $180.6 million worldwide against a production budget between $30–69 million. A sequel, '' Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard'', also directed by Hughes with Reynolds, Jackson, and Hayek returning in addition to

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...

and

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

, was released on June 16, 2021, after being delayed previously to August 20, 2021 from an original release date of August 28, 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. In 2021, Hughes established his own film production company, Huge Films, in partnership with Greg McLean and James Beaufort.

Filmography

Short films * ''The Director'' (2000) * ''The Lighter'' (2001) * ''Signs'' (2008) Feature films * '' Red Hill'' (2010) * ''

'' (2014) * '' The Hitman's Bodyguard'' (2017) * ''

Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard ''Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'' is a 2021 American action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor and Brandon and Phillip Murphy. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film '' The Hitman's Bodyguard'' and features Ryan Reyn ...

'' (2021) * '' The Man from Toronto'' (2022)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Patrick 1978 births Living people 21st-century Australian male writers 21st-century Australian screenwriters Action film directors Australian film directors Australian male screenwriters Film directors from Melbourne Writers from Melbourne People from Black Rock, Victoria Victorian College of the Arts alumni