Stephen Norrington, London film director, did Blade and almost nothing else (feddit.uk)

submitted 1 week ago by tetris11@feddit.uk to c/casualuk@feddit.uk

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Norrington

Who the hell is this guy, even?

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[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1994 Death Machine Yes Yes Associate
1998 Blade Yes No No Also made a cameo as Morbius in a deleted scene[1]
2001 The Last Minute Yes Yes Yes
2003 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Yes No No

Hardly "almost nothing". The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen apparently performed badly enough to negatively affect his career. He also supposedly went into independent filmmaking from 2011 but so far hasn't released a single movie, which is rather weird. I wonder if he's some kind of "difficult personality" (i.e. not the right kind of weird for Hollywood), that one-person-project that the article talks about certainly points in that direction. Or he just took some time to raise his children, enjoy his wealth etc.

[-] PostProcess@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I really liked the league, not quite the adaptation of the graphic novel but it was good fun.

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

I just wonder what trajectory his life would have been on had he directed the Blade sequels

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

It’s not particularly weird. It’s only a small percentage of independent films that actually get made. He was attached to several films that didnt’t pan out.

[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

Sure it's a small percentage, but how many independent movies had the director of a big budget Hollywood movie involved? You'd think that guy would be able to release at least one independent movie in 15 years.

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

Not really how it works. Any indie film tends to be a fragile coalition of financiers, and a big commercial director is expensive and hard to wrangle.

[-] Apocalypteroid@feddit.uk 10 points 1 week ago

From memory, the reception for LoEG was so bad that it caused Sean Connery to quit acting altogether. I think that probably killed his career.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 1 week ago

Didn't he also turn down a different role that turned out to be an actually good and popular movie to do League? Or maybe that was after League because he worried it would be similar 🤔

[-] Apocalypteroid@feddit.uk 10 points 1 week ago

I think he turned down the role of Gandalf in LOTR. Which was ultimately for the best imo. Ian McKellen's performance was so flawless I doubt it could be bettered.

[-] RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com 8 points 1 week ago

Sean Connery as Gandalf would have been a joke.

[-] sawdustprophet@midwest.social 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Sean Connery as Gandalf would have been a joke.

"End? No, the journey doeshn't end here. Death ish jusht another path. One that we all musht take. The grey rain-curtain of thish world rollsh back, and all turnsh to shilver glassh... then you shee it."

Now I kind of want to see it, in a hate-watching sort of way.

[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

From skimming his Wikipedia page, his later movies were kind of a mixed bag in general (and not just economically unsuccessful movies, he got pretty bad reviews for his acting in some of his roles), and he was already 73 in 2003. Seems as good a time as any to retire.

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

His wikipedia page reads like an obituary. I do wonder if he kicks himself for turning down Blade II

[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago

His reasoning for turning down LotR and Matrix was that he didn't really understand the source material. Which is valid, IMO.

His wikipedia page reads like an obituary

I mean ... he is dead. But I think it reads too negatively for an obituary, those don't usually spend that much time on missed opportunities and failed projects.

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

OH! I was talking about Norrington, not Connery haha! Sorry misread the chain

[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

If I had a nickel for every time The League of Extaordinary Gentlemen ended someone's career, I'd have two nickels! Which isn't much but it's weird that it's happened twice!

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 4 points 1 week ago

And if I had a pound for every time I confused Norrington with Connery, I'd have.. I'd have... well I'd have nothing since I would be taking a single pound from myself. Why have you done this to me now