Chuck Russell

{{Infobox person

| image =

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| other_names =

| birth_name = Charles Russell

| name = Chuck Russell

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|05|09}}

| birth_place = Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.

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| education =

| alma_mater = University of Illinois Chicago

| years_active = 1973–present

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Charles Russell (born May 9, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.

He is best known for directing the films A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988),{{cite web|author=Maslin, Janet|authorlink=Janet Maslin|date=August 5, 1988|title=Review/Film, The Blob, Modernized|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE1D9113AF936A3575BC0A96E948260|work=The New York Times}} The Mask (1994), Eraser (1996), and The Scorpion King (2002).

Career

Russell entered the film industry as a production manager and assistant director on independent films, while writing screenplays. During the production of the film Hell Night, he met writer Frank Darabont, with whom he would become a close collaborator. His first produced script was the 1984 film Dreamscape, directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Dennis Quaid.

Russell made his directorial debut in 1987 with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. At that time, New Line Cinema was uncertain about the future of the Elm Street franchise. Russell convinced them that the series could take a step further into Freddy's nightmare world through advanced visual effects and dramatize the bond among Freddy's youthful victims with the concept of Dream Warriors. The success of the film redefined the franchise for New Line, earning more at the box office than the first two films put together.

Russell went on to write and direct the cult horror film, The Blob in 1988, once again stretching the boundaries of visual effects on a limited budget. He then found international acclaim with the blockbuster The Mask about a bank clerk who discovers an ancient mask that transforms him into a malicious prankster who uses practical jokes to fight crime. Russell created groundbreaking digital technologies for The Mask with George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, combining live action performance with radically new concepts in visual effects. Russell's work earned the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. The Mask also created international stardom for both Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz. With a production budget of $18 million, The Mask earned more than $350 million in worldwide box office.

Russell then went on to direct the action films Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger, which grossed over $240 million internationally, and The Scorpion King, which was the first leading role for WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Both films were #1 box office hits upon their release.

Russell was originally attached to direct the 2004 film Collateral, though ultimately the production was passed onto Michael Mann. Russell retained an executive producer credit, while Darabont was an uncredited script doctor.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-15|title=IN CONVERSATION WITH FRANK DARABONT-by Chris Hewitt-Scraps from the loft|url=https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2018/07/26/frank-darabont-empire-interview-2008/|access-date=2024-03-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915065213/https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2018/07/26/frank-darabont-empire-interview-2008/ |archive-date=September 15, 2020 }}

After a fourteen year hiatus from directing (save for a 2010 episode of the television series Fringe), Russell's next film was 2016's I Am Wrath starring John Travolta. In 2019, he directed Junglee, an Indian action-adventure film that released on March 29, 2019. For Junglee, the 60-year-old director worked with elephants and the song-and-dance tradition unique to Indian cinema for the first time. Both were inspiring, he told Scroll.in during a recent visit to Mumbai.{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/reel/917166/happy-elephants-equals-happy-performances-hollywood-director-chuck-russell-on-junglee|title=Happy elephants equals happy performances: Hollywood director Chuck Russell on 'Junglee'|date=March 22, 2019 }}

In 2022, Russell directed Paradise City, starring Bruce Willis and Travolta.

In 2024, Russell wrote and directed a remake of the 1986 film Witchboard.{{Cite web|last=Hamman|first=Cody|date=2019-05-13|title=Dream Warriors Chuck Russell to direct a remake of Witchboard|url=https://www.joblo.com/dream-warriors-chuck-russell-to-direct-a-remake-of-witchboard/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331174355/https://www.joblo.com/dream-warriors-chuck-russell-to-direct-a-remake-of-witchboard/|archive-date=March 31, 2023|access-date=2023-03-31|website=JoBlo}}{{Cite web|date=March 29, 2023|title=What's Shooting|url=https://www.actramontreal.ca/whats-shooting/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723014654/https://www.actramontreal.ca/whats-shooting/|archive-date=July 23, 2023|access-date=2023-07-23|website=ACTRA Montreal}}{{Cite web|last=Deckelmeier|first=Joe|date=2023-08-01|title=SDCC 2023: Witchboard Director Chuck Russell On Revisiting A Classic Horror Movie|url=https://screenrant.com/witchboard-movie-director-chuck-russell-sdcc-interview/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230640/https://screenrant.com/witchboard-movie-director-chuck-russell-sdcc-interview/|archive-date=August 10, 2023|access-date=2023-08-10|website=Screen Rant}}

Russell is the co-founder of A-Nation, a film production company utilizing blockchain technology.{{Cite web|title=A Nation Media–First High Budget Tokenized Film Production Company|url=https://anation.media/|access-date=2024-03-13|language=en-US}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! width="65"|Director

! width="65"|Writer

! Producer

1984

| Dreamscape

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{yes|Associate}}

1987

| A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

| {{Yes}}

| {{no}}

1988

| The Blob

| {{Yes}}

| {{no}}

1994

| The Mask

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

1996

| Eraser

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

2000

| Bless the Child

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{no}}

2002

| The Scorpion King

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{no}}

2016

| I Am Wrath

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{no}}

2019

| Junglee

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

2022

| Paradise City

| {{Yes}}

| {{no}}

2024

| Witchboard

| {{yes}}

Producer only

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Director ! Notes
1980 \| The Hearse \| George Bowers \| Line producer
1981 \| Hell Night \| Tom DeSimone \|rowspan=2\|Executive producer
1982 \| The Seduction \| David Schmoeller
1984 \| Body Rock \| Marcelo Epstein \|
1985 \| Girls Just Want to Have Fun \|rowspan=2\|Alan Metter \|
1986 \| Back to School \|
2004 \| Collateral \| Michael Mann \| Executive producer

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Director

! Notes

1980

| The Hearse

| George Bowers

| Line producer

1981

| Hell Night

| Tom DeSimone

|rowspan=2|Executive producer

1982

| The Seduction

| David Schmoeller

1984

| Body Rock

| Marcelo Epstein

1985

| Girls Just Want to Have Fun

|rowspan=2|Alan Metter

1986

| Back to School

2004

| Collateral

| Michael Mann

| Executive producer

=Television=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! Note

2010

| Fringe

| Episode "The Abducted"{{cite web|url=http://sfscope.com/2010/12/candy-manfringes-the-abducted.html|title=Candy Man—Fringe's "The Abducted"|date=2010-12-03|access-date=2022-09-14|publisher=SFScope|first=Sarah|last=Stegall|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514230222/http://sfscope.com/2010/12/candy-manfringes-the-abducted.html|archive-date=2012-05-14}}

References

External links

{{IMDb name|0751080}}

Category:1958 births

Category:American horror film directors

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:Living people