Joachim Rønning (born 30 May 1972) is a Norwegian film director, producer, and writer best known for the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
and
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
nominated
''Kon-Tiki'' and the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
action-adventure films ''
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'' starring
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
and ''
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil'' starring
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
. Rønning's films have grossed more than 1.3 billion dollars at the box office.
Rønning's most recent work is directing Disney's ''
Young Woman and the Sea'' starring
Daisy Ridley.
Early life
Rønning grew up in Sandefjord,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, a small coastal town south of Oslo. At the age of 12, his parents bought their first home video camera. According to Rønning, "...it was a bulky affair, but it was love at first sight." He spent his teenage years making short films and shooting commercials for local businesses, often using homemade camera rigs strapped to skateboards. When asked what inspired him to become a filmmaker, Rønning said his father being a part of the local theater company immersed his young self with experience of sitting backstage and having views of the productions' inner workings.
In 1992, he attended Stockholms Filmskola in Sweden, graduating in 1994.
Career
In 2006, Rønning and
Espen Sandberg directed their feature film debut, ''
Bandidas'', starring
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards.
Cru ...
and
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born 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 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...
, and written and produced by French filmmaker
Luc Besson
Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...
.
In December 2008, Rønning's first Norwegian film, ''
Max Manus: Man of War'', premiered. ''Max Manus'' was the highest-grossing Norwegian movie of all time, at over 1.2 million tickets sold in Norway. The film's North American premiere was at the 2009
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
.
''Kon-Tiki'' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012. In 2013, ''Kon-Tiki'' was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in the best foreign language category. This is the first Norwegian film to be nominated for the awards.
The success of ''Kon-Tiki'' led to Rønning and Sandberg directing a film in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise for
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...
and Disney. Filmed on location in Australia, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'' went on to earn close to US$800 million at the box office worldwide.
Rønning's next movie ''Maleficent: Mistress of Evil'' starring Angelina Jolie,
Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...
and
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...
for Disney, premiered in the fall of 2019 to become the third highest October release of all time and eventually grossing half a billion dollars worldwide.
His next feature was ''Young Woman and The Sea,'' starring Daisy Ridley, which tells the story of
Gertrude Ederle's historic swim across the English Channel. The production of the movie was challenging due to Rønning's desire to shoot everything in open water. The film premiered in May 2024 to critical acclaim. He described this work as "the most intense movie
e's
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and drawn by Satoru Yuiga. It was originally serialized in '' Monthly GFantasy'' from 1997 through 2005, and later published in 16 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Square Enix from March 18, 2003, to Febr ...
ever done", alluding to his dedication to make sure that the story be shot on the open sea.
Upcoming projects
In January 2023, Rønning took the helm of the next chapter in the
''Tron'' franchise for Disney. The film, titled ''
Tron: Ares'', will star
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...
,
Greta Lee,
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning over seven decades, he has received List of awards and nominations received by ...
,
Jodi Turner-Smith, and
Evan Peters
Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 2004 drama film '' Clipping Adam'' and starred in the ABC science fiction series ''Invasion'' from 2005 to 2006. Peters gained wide recognition fo ...
. ''Tron: Ares'' is slated for release in 2025.
Rønning is involved in many projects including ''Origin'' for
Paramount Studios
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount Global. It is the sixth-oldest film studio i ...
and Bruckheimer. Rønning is also set to direct an adaptation of the last
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...
novel, ''
Micro
Micro may refer to:
Measurement
* micro- (μ), a metric prefix denoting a factor of 10−6
Places
* Micro, North Carolina, town in U.S.
People
* DJ Micro, (born Michael Marsicano) an American trance DJ and producer
* Chii Tomiya (都宮 � ...
''. The
KISS
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
biopic, ''Shout It Out Loud'',
named from one of the band's songs, will be directed and produced by Rønning.
McG is in talks to replace him as director.
Rønning will also be directing ''Here Be Monsters'', a sci-fi thriller that he co-wrote with his brother Andreas Rønning.
Rønning also referenced he has "a couple of projects" that may be set in Europe. Noting that he would like for his next opus to be "something that
e's
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and drawn by Satoru Yuiga. It was originally serialized in '' Monthly GFantasy'' from 1997 through 2005, and later published in 16 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Square Enix from March 18, 2003, to Febr ...
developed
imself
Filmography
Director
Solo works
Co-directed with Espen Sandberg
Executive producer with Espen Sandberg
* ''Beatles'' (2014)
Personal life
Rønning married philanthropist
Amanda Hearst in 2019.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ronning, Joachim
Living people
Norwegian expatriates in Australia
Norwegian film directors
People from Sandefjord
1979 births