Stephen Norrington (born 1964) is an English filmmaker and special effects artist known for his work in the horror and action genres. Beginning his career as a sculptor and makeup artist, he worked under
Dick Smith,
Rick Baker
Richard A. Baker (born December 8, 1950), known professionally as Rick Baker, is an American retired special make-up effects creator and actor. He is mostly known for his creature designs and effects. Baker won the Academy Award for Best Makeu ...
, and
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film Prosthetic makeup, special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' series, the first three ''Jurassic Pa ...
on a number of well-known, effects-driven films of the 1980s and 90s. His directorial credits include the cult sci-fi horror film ''
Death Machine
''Death Machine'' is a 1994 science fiction horror film written and directed by Stephen Norrington. It stars Brad Dourif, Ely Pouget, William Hootkins, John Sharian, and Richard Brake. Rachel Weisz, still early in her career at the time of ...
'' and the comic book adaptations ''
Blade
A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...
'' and ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
''. He portrayed
Michael Morbius in the
alternate ending
An alternate ending (or alternative ending) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on t ...
to ''Blade''.
Career
Norrington first worked in film as a special effects artist, doing so for several years, which included work on the films
''Alien''s and
''Split Second''. His debut as a director was in the 1994 movie ''
Death Machine
''Death Machine'' is a 1994 science fiction horror film written and directed by Stephen Norrington. It stars Brad Dourif, Ely Pouget, William Hootkins, John Sharian, and Richard Brake. Rachel Weisz, still early in her career at the time of ...
'' but it was directing
''Blade'' in 1998 that gained him international status as the film became a box office hit. Despite the film's success, he turned down directing the sequel. He directed ''
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
'' (2003) during which he had such a hard time with
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
, the film's star, that he announced he would never direct another film. He later changed his mind, though as of 2022 he has yet to do so.
Norrington was originally attached to
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and relea ...
's ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'' before it was acquired by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
.
He was set to direct a remake of the 1981 fantasy film ''
Clash of the Titans'' before the position went to
Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier (; born 17 June 1973) is a French film director and producer. Best known for his work in action films, he directed the first two '' Transporter'' films (2002–2005), '' Unleashed'' (2005), '' The Incredible Hulk'' (2008), ''Clas ...
, director of ''
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...
''.
In 2008 it was announced that Norrington would direct a reboot of ''
The Crow
The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...
'' franchise.
In 2010 it was reported he would direct and write the supernatural action thriller ''The Lost Patrol,'' to be distributed by
Legendary Pictures
Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...
.
In December 2011, Norrington revealed in an interview that, for the past year, he'd been working on ''Untitled Norrington Genre Project #1'', based on a feature film script he wrote in April 2008 for that year's ''
Script Frenzy'' challenge. Centering on car chases, it was said to feature both live-action footage and scale models for greenscreen shots. Norrington revealed he was doing most of the work himself, as he did in his 2001 film ''
The Last Minute
''The Last Minute'' is a 2001 British-American urban gothic film, written and directed by Stephen Norrington.
It shows a struggling man hitting bottom and finding light in unexpected places, and trying a huge alternative as the solution to hi ...
''.
In 2018, ''Blade'' co-star
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Hartley Dorff Jr. (born July 29, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Roland West in the third season of HBO's crime drama anthology series ''True Detective'', PK in '' The Power of One'', Stuart Sutcliffe in ''Backbe ...
said Norrington was making a film with miniatures at his own house. Dorff thought it would take him another decade to complete it.
Unrealised projects
Norrington has had several unrealised projects throughout his career, listed here in roughly chronological order. During a career that has spanned over 20 years, he has worked on projects which never progressed beyond the
pre-production
Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content starts ...
stage under his direction. Many of them were produced after he left production.
In 1999, Norrington was invited to direct ''
Blade II
''Blade II'' is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Blade, directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by David S. Goyer. A sequel to ''Blade'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Blade'' franchise, foll ...
'', the sequel to his
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
film. He turned it down, and the studio hired
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
instead.
In 2001, Norrington was attached to
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and relea ...
's ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'' before it was acquired by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
.
It was eventually released in 2007, directed by
Mark Steven Johnson
Mark Steven Johnson (born October 30, 1964) is an American filmmaker.
Life and career
Johnson began his career writing the Warner Bros. films '' Grumpy Old Men'' and its sequel ''Grumpier Old Men''. Johnson wrote and directed two comic book bas ...
.
In 2001, Norrington announced he had agreed to direct a film based on ''
The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu'', a film adaptation based on the Marvel character
Shang-Chi
Zheng Shang-Chi ( ), also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in '' ...
. He described it as "a real honest-to-goodness martial arts film, rather than a film that simply has martial arts in it". In 2004, it was announced that
Ang Lee
Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...
had been brought on as producer. In 2005, it was announced that Stan Lee had agreed to executive produce the film for
DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to:
* DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin
** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio
** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...
, with
Yuen Woo-ping directing from a
Bruce McKenna
Bruce C. McKenna (born March 14, 1962) is an American writer for television and film. He was the co-executive producer, creator, principal writer and researcher on the 2010 HBO 10 part mini-series, '' The Pacific'', which was co-produced by Stev ...
screenplay.
[Ang Lee's Shang-Chi movie is back](_blank)
/ref> In 2005, Avi Arad
Avi Arad (; he, אבי ארד; born 1948) is an Israeli-American film producer who became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, and the chairman, CEO, and founde ...
stated that he thought that a PG-13 adaptation was possible. In 2006, Ang Lee confirmed his and Yuen's continued involvement with the project. In December 2018, a different film adaptation of Shang-Chi was announced, with a script by David Callaham
David Elias Callaham (born October 24, 1977) is an American screenwriter and producer.
Life
Callaham was born in Fresno, California on October 24, 1977 to Lee Hsu and Michael Callaham. He has a brother, Gregory. He is of Chinese descent through ...
, without Norrington.
Shortly after Warner Bros. acquired the rights in 2002, Norrington was slated to direct a remake to the 1988 film '' Akira'', with James Robinson writing the screenplay and Dan Lin
Dan Lin (; born April 8, 1973) is a Taiwanese-American film producer. He is the founder and CEO of Rideback (formerly Lin Pictures until 2018), a film and television production company that he formed in 2008 that has a first-look deal at Uni ...
producing. Norrington planned to make it more appealing to Western audiences by making Kaneda and Tetsuo brothers. Following ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
'' underperformed at the box office in 2003, which both Norrington and Robinson were also on, the project was put on hold.
In 2003, Norrington's ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
'' was intended to spawn a film franchise A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.
This article explains what film series are ...
based on further titles in the original comic book series, but there was little enthusiasm for a sequel due to underperformance at the box office. In 2013, after the sequel was scrapped, it was reported that Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
was ordering a pilot for the television version of ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' with Michael Green as writer and executive producer. If the project went to series, Norrington and showrunner Erwin Stoff
Erwin Stoff (born 26 April 1951 in Vorona) is a Romanian-born American film producer. He is best known for being the president of company 3 Arts Entertainment, Inc., based in Beverly Hills, CA. Among his credits are ''The Matrix'', '' Beautiful ...
would have executive produced. Neither Moore nor O'Neill would be producers on the series. It had also been reported that the pilot episode would still be broadcast, even if Fox opted not to green-light
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
the series. Only a couple years after news of the television series ceased, The Tracking Board reported, on 26 May 2015 that 20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment
Davis Entertainment (also known as Davis Entertainment Company) is an American film and television production company, founded by John Davis in 1984.
Davis's three divisions–feature film, independent film, and television–develop and produc ...
had agreed to develop a reboot film with hopes of launching a new franchise. The report stated that a search was underway for a director who could help "continue to develop the reboot". John Davis told Collider in an interview that the reboot would be a female-centric film. Since then, there have been no further announcements.
In 2007, Norrington was set to direct the remake of the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans''. However, he was unsure about his direction for the project because he did not grow up with the original. Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier (; born 17 June 1973) is a French film director and producer. Best known for his work in action films, he directed the first two '' Transporter'' films (2002–2005), '' Unleashed'' (2005), '' The Incredible Hulk'' (2008), ''Clas ...
, who did, contacted him through their shared agent about replacing him. Leterrier's film was released in 2010.
In 2008, it was announced that Norrington would direct a reboot of ''The Crow
The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...
'' franchise. He left the film by 2013 and was replaced by F. Javier Gutiérrez
Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Díaz is a Spanish film director, producer and writer. Two-Time Golden Melies#M.C3.A9li.C3.A8s d.27Or, European Golden Melies nominee, he is well known for his works like the short films ''Brazil'' and ''Norman's Room' ...
. By July 2015, Gutiérrez had left the project and was replaced by Corin Hardy
Corin Hardy (born 6 January 1975) is an English film director. He made his directorial debut with the 2015 horror film '' The Hallow'', which he also co-wrote.
He directed the 2018 horror film '' The Nun'', a spin-off of ''The Conjuring 2'' (2 ...
. Hardy also left the project on 31 May 2018, leaving the film in limbo.
In 2010, Norrington was going to direct and write the supernatural action thriller ''The Lost Patrol'' to be distributed by Legendary Pictures
Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...
.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norrington, Stephen
1964 births
Living people
People educated at Harrow High School
Film directors from London
Special effects people
Date of birth missing (living people)