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Paul W.S. Anderson

From humble Newcastle beginnings, British-born director, producer and writer Paul W.S. Anderson teamed up with producer and fellow Brit, Jeremy Bolt, early in his career to found Impact Pictures. The first film of the pair's ongoing collaboration, under the auspices of Impact Pictures, was the low-budget success Shopping (Channel Four Films, 1994), which Anderson wrote and directed. Starring Sadie Frost and Jude Law (with an appearance by legendary singer Marianne Faithfull), this dark film about joyriding and ram-raiding British youth (banned in some U.K. theaters) established Anderson's love of cars, dystopian futures and high-impact action.

Shopping paved the way to Hollywood for Anderson, and 1995's Mortal Kombat became Anderson's first American No. 1 box-office smash. It was also the first successful movie adaptation of a video game, a fact that soon established Anderson's reputation as the man who could take the game out of the box and make it explode on the screen. Sidestepping offers to direct a sequel to Mortal Kombat, Anderson chose instead to turn his attention to sci-fi. His next directorial projects included Soldier and Event Horizon. Blade Runner screenwriter David Peoples wrote Soldier, a sidequel to Blade Runner, which starred Kurt Russell, Connie Nielsen and Jason Isaacs. Now a cult classic, Event Horizon's stars include Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Jason Isaacs and Joely Richardson.

Anderson returned to adapting video games for the big screen with the survival horror Resident Evil (2002), starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez, which he wrote, directed and produced. A resounding commercial success, the movie spawned a successful franchise that includes No. 1 hits Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). Anderson wrote and produced the sequels with Jeremy Bolt.

Anderson consolidated his box-office muscle when he wrote and directed the highly anticipated AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004), starring Lance Henriksen, which opened at No. 1 and went on to be the highest-grossing film in both the Alien and Predator series.

Anderson is currently preparing a remake of the gangster classic The Long Good Friday, which he will write, produce and direct, as well as the sci-fi horror Pandorum, starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, which he will produce, and the video game adaptation and action-horror Castlevania, which he will write and produce for Rogue Pictures/Universal Pictures. Anderson's producing partner, Jeremy Bolt, will produce all three.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2008.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Paul W.S. Anderson Facts

OccupationDirector, Writer, Producer
BirthdayMarch 4, 1965 (59)
SignPisces
BirthplaceNewcastle, England, United Kingdom

Selected Filmography

Resident Evil
Alien Vs. Predator
Event Horizon
Resident Evil: Retribution
Resident Evil: Afterlife
AVP Double Feature
Mortal Kombat
Pompeii
The Three Musketeers
Soldier
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