Stephen Hopkins (director)

Stephen Hopkins is a Jamaican-born British director and producer of film and television. He directed ''Predator 2'', '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child'', '' Blown Away'', ''The Ghost and the Darkness'', ''Lost in Space'', '' Under Suspicion'' and '' The Life and Death of Peter Sellers''. He also produced and directed several episodes of the first season of ''24''.

Biography

Hopkins was born in Jamaica and grew up in the USA and England, arriving in England in the 1960s. He had aspirations to be a comic book artist but said "I wasn’t really good enough I don’t think or wasn’t applied enough and it was a lonely job." He began doing story boards for rock videos for artists such as Duran Duran and became a designer for directors like Russell Mulcahy, David Mallett, Brian Grant, and Steve Barron, before moving into directing videos himself.

Hopkins moved to New York to work, then to Australia direct videos for Elton John such as "Sad Songs". He made other rock videos and commercials in Australia for clients such as Pizza Hut and David Jones as well as directing a $3 mllion rock musical, ''Rasputin''.

Russell Mulcahy invited Hopkins to direct second unit on ''Highlander'' and he directed concert films for artists such as Mick Jagger. He lived in Australia for six years.

Film

In Australia Hopkins made '' Dangerous Game'' (1987). He said it "was seen in Cannes by a bunch of Hollywood people" and helped him get the job directing '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child''. Hopkins later said, "I went at it like a dog, and had a wild, fun time. But when I look back, I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world because I don't understand how it all happened."

He went on to make ''Predator 2'', of which he said, "I'm pretty immature, really, so it was kind of a laugh". He followed it with '' Judgment Night'' ("a real, absolute, total bomb" according to Hopkins), ''Blown Away'' ("made a lot of mistakes") and ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' ("It was a mess. I haven't been able to watch it.").

In 2016, Hopkins directed '' Race'', a biopic about athlete Jesse Owens for Focus Features. Stephan James plays Jesse Owens, opposite Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons. The film was released in February 2016.

Hopkins said that after ''Predator 2'' he "looked around for a good film for a long time, and I couldn't get anything I wanted to do... I didn't realise the Hollywood trick. In American action movies, people get shot to death and their arms are blown off, and they get up and they're fine. These films are supposed to be fun things that people can laugh at. I always thought, 'That's wrong, that's not what violence is like.' I took these films too seriously and tried to add profound depths, and that's not what's wanted. You either do that film or you do the other one, but I kept mixing the two up, and probably unsuccessfully.'"

Television

Hopkins has directed a number of episodes for television. He was a co-executive producer for the first season of the Fox action drama ''24'', and also directed half of the season's episodes, including the first and last episodes. He is also co-executive producer on '' 24: Legacy,'' and director of the show's pilot episode. Hopkins has also directed a number of episodes of Showtime's series '' House of Lies'' starring Don Cheadle which premiered on 8 January 2012. He is also a producer on the series.

In 2004, Hopkins directed the controversial biographical film '' The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'', which was broadcast by HBO in the United States but received a theatrical release in a number of countries. The film provoked the ire of the actor's son Michael Sellers and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special.The Guardian UK
''Biopic's many strange faces of Peter Sellers incense the actor's son'' Fiachra Gibbons in Cannes Tuesday 19 May 2003 The Guardian

in 2019 Hopkins directed the pilot episode for a potential '' The Dark Tower'' series for Amazon. However Amazon passed on the series.

In 2023 Hopkins directed the 6 episode globe trotting spy thriller '' Liaison'' starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green. He is also a producer on the series.

Filmography

Film

Television

TV movie
* '' The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'' (2004)

Miniseries

Awards and nominations

Fantasporto

Primetime Emmy Awards

Cannes Film Festival

Directors Guild of America

Gemini Awards

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Stephen
Living people
British film producers
British film directors
Place of birth missing (living people)
People educated at Sutton Valence School
Primetime Emmy Award winners
British horror film directors
Year of birth missing (living people)