Patrick Hughes (born May 13, 1978) is an Australian filmmaker, best known for directing and screenwriting '' Red Hill'' (2010), '' The Expendables 3'' (2014), ''

The Hitman's Bodyguard ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' is a 2017 action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor. It stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson with Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek. In the film, Michael Bryce (Reynolds) must protect ...

'' (2017), and '' The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'' (2021).

Early life

Hughes was born in Black Rock, a suburb of Melbourne. He started making short films when he was young. Hughes attended film school at the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

, graduating in 1999.

Career

After making a string of high-profile commercials and shorts, and multiple failed attempts to option a script for an

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

, he decided to direct it himself under a short schedule and low budget, in what would eventually become the 2010 film '' Red Hill'' starring

Ryan Kwanten Ryan Christian Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor and producer. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. After his stint ended, he joined the American teen drama series '' ...

, Steve Bisley and

Tom E. Lewis Tom E. Lewis (25 August 1958 – 10 May 2018), also known by his traditional name Balang Lewis, and sometimes credited as Tommy Lewis was an Aboriginal Australian actor, musician, and artistic director. His first major role was the title role in ...

. Hughes' various commercials and previous 2008

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

'' Signs'' caught the attention of Hollywood star

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

, who was looking for 'new blood' to direct the third installment of the lucrative '' The Expendables'' franchise. Hughes filmed '' The Expendables 3'' from August to October 2013 and the film held its world premiere in London on 4 August 2014. Hughes was announced as the director of the remake of the 2011 Indonesian action film '' The Raid: Redemption'' with

Taylor Kitsch Taylor Kitsch (born April 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is known for portraying Tim Riggins in the NBC television series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011). He has also worked in films such as '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009), ''Bat ...

to star, but by October 2015 once both Kitsch and Screen Gems had dropped out of the project Hughes also dropped out as director. Hughes next directed the 2017

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

'', starring

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...

, Samuel L. Jackson,

Gary Oldman Sir Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Gary Oldman, various accolades, including an Academ ...

, 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 ...

, which earned $180.6 million worldwide against a production budget between $30–69 million. A sequel, '' Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard'', also directed by Hughes with Reynolds, Jackson, and Hayek returning in addition to

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

and

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

, was released on June 16, 2021, after being delayed previously to August 20, 2021 from an original release date of August 28, 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In 2021, Hughes established his own film production company, Huge Films, in partnership with Greg McLean and James Beaufort.

Filmography

Short film Feature film

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Patrick 1978 births Living people 21st-century Australian male writers 21st-century Australian screenwriters Action film directors Australian film directors Australian male screenwriters Film directors from Melbourne Writers from Melbourne People from Black Rock, Victoria Victorian College of the Arts alumni