Joel Schumacher Dead, Film Director Dies Of Cancer At 80
Joel Schumacher has died. The celebrated filmmaker, responsible for numerous hit movies, died at age 80, according to the Twitter account of Dave Itzkoff, who cited a publicist. The man responsible for dozens of iconic films died after a battle with cancer that has spanned around a year.
Over the course of his career, Schumacher brought forth some great hits such as Batman Forever, A Time to Kill, St. Elmo’s Fire, and The Lost Boys. His genre was never really one that was well-defined as it was all over the place, and that is why his fans loved him so much.
Schumacher Was Unafraid To Work In Horror, Fantasy
Several fans have spoken out against films such as Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, but they’ve developed quite a cult following. Once Tim Burton departed the franchise of the Caped Crusader, Schumacher took over and gave the world a brand-new black light spin.
Batman Forever brought in more than $300 million worldwide with Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones as the lead villains, The Riddler and Two-Face. Val Kilmer lasted only one film as Batman before bowing out and taking off the cowl. Not losing any star-power, Schumacher landed George Clooney to replace him in his second venture into Gotham.
Batman & Robin brought even more criticism due to the chest design of the bat suit. Unfortunately, one unique feature added to the suit ended up drawing more attention than the film itself.
Schumacher was never afraid to try something new and exciting, though, and fans loved his vampire flick of the ’80s, Flatliners in 1990, and 8MM in 1999.
Joel Schumacher Always Found The Biggest Stars In Hollywood For His Films
Throughout his career, Schumacher worked with Jim Carrey on two different occasions. Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock stole the show in A Time to Kill. Colin Farrell and Forest Whitaker clashed in Phone Booth.
Even as he drew criticism for his eccentricities in some films, the elite of Hollywood knew that working with Schumacher was great for their careers. They never shied away from the opportunity to work with him on a project. Many of them even returned to do it again and again.
In 1987, Kiefer Sutherland first worked with Schumacher on The Lost Boys, but it wouldn’t be their last collaboration. Over the years, Sutherland returned three more times to work with the director in Flatliners, A Time to Kill, and Phone Booth.
Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman stole the screen in Flawless. Chace Crawford and Rory Culkin wowed audiences in the gritty Twelve from 2010. Of course, no one can ignore Michael Douglas’ unforgettable performance as D-Fens in Falling Down.
Some of his most recent work included directing a couple of episodes of House of Cards for Netflix. Schumacher was also the executive producer for Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors on Investigation Discovery in 2015.
When reflecting on his career, it’s difficult for anyone to find a lot of fault or failure in any of Schumacher’s work. There may have been times that not everyone agreed with the moves he made or roles he cast, but he certainly achieved legendary status with memorable films that will live forever.
