Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich | |
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Born | |
Citizenship |
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Alma mater | University of Television and Film Munich |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1979–present |
Spouse |
Omar De Soto (m. 2017) |
Signature | |
Roland Emmerich (German:
He began his work in the film industry by directing the film The Noah's Ark Principle (1984) as part of his university thesis and also co-founded Centropolis Entertainment in 1985 with his sister. He has also directed the films Universal Soldier (1992), Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996) and its sequel Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Godzilla (1998), The Patriot (2000), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 10,000 BC (2008), 2012 (2009), White House Down (2013), Midway (2019), and Moonfall (2022).
Early life and career
Emmerich was born in Stuttgart, West Germany, and grew up in the nearby town of Sindelfingen.[4] As a youth, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America on vacations financed by his father, Hans, the wealthy founder of a garden machinery production company.[5] In 1977, he began attending University of Television and Film Munich with the intention of studying to become a production designer.[5][6] After watching Star Wars, he instead decided to enroll in the school's film director program.[5][7] Required to create a short film as his final thesis in 1981, he wrote and directed the full-length feature The Noah's Ark Principle, which was screened as the opening film of the 34th Berlin International Film Festival in 1984.[6]
In 1985, he founded Centropolis Film Productions (now Centropolis Entertainment) in partnership with his sister, producer Ute Emmerich, and directed his major film debut, a fantasy feature named Joey.[5] He subsequently directed the 1987 comedy Hollywood-Monster and the 1990 science-fiction film Moon 44. Theatrically, these were only released in and nearby his native country, although Emmerich filmed them in English and went against conventional German styles in an attempt to appeal to a larger market.[5][8] This subsequently resulted in Moon 44 being released direct-to-video in the U.S. in early 1991. Joey and Hollywood-Monster eventually also saw home video releases in the U.S. (as Making Contact and Ghost Chase, respectively) once Emmerich achieved more prominence in America.
Hollywood director
1990s
Producer Mario Kassar invited Emmerich to come to the United States to direct a futuristic action film entitled Isobar.[9] Dean Devlin, who appeared in Moon 44, soon joined Emmerich as his writing and producing partner, and served in this capacity until 2000.[8] Emmerich subsequently refused the offer to direct after producers rejected Devlin's re-write of the script, and the Isobar project was eventually scrapped.[9] Instead, Emmerich was hired to replace director Andrew Davis for the action movie Universal Soldier. The film was released in 1992.
Emmerich next helmed the 1994 science-fiction film Stargate. At the time, it set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film released in the month of October.[10] It became more commercially successful than most film industry insiders had anticipated,[8][11] and spawned a highly popular media franchise. Around the time, Emmerich and Devlin got involved with Bethesda Softworks to develop the video game The 10th Planet, which was scheduled to be released in October 1997, but got canceled.[12][13]
Emmerich then directed Independence Day, an alien invasion feature, released in 1996, that became the first film to gross $100 million in less than a week[14][15] and went on to become one of the most financially successful films of all time,[16] at one point having been the second-highest-grossing film in terms of worldwide box office.[17] Emmerich and Devlin then created the television series The Visitor, which aired on the Fox Network during 1997–1998 before being cancelled after one season.
His next film, Godzilla, opened in 1998. An extensive advertising and marketing campaign generated significant hype during the months leading up to the film's release. The film was a box office success but was met with negative reviews from critics and fans. It garnered a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects, a BMI Film Music Award, and the Audience Award for Best Director at the European Film Awards while also receiving a Razzie Award for Worst Remake or Sequel. It has only a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[18] Emmerich said that prior to getting involved with Godzilla he and Devlin had planned a disaster movie centered around an asteroid fall, which wound up cancelled after Armageddon went for a similar idea.[1]
2000s
Taking a short break from science-fiction, Emmerich next directed the
In 2008, Emmerich directed
2010s
Emmerich's next film, The film's box-office failures signaled a decline of Emmerich's career.
In 2011, Sony Pictures had purchased a pitch for Emmerich's project Singularity, a sci-fi epic about a man composed of nanomachines. Originally planned for a 2013 release, the project has since gone into development hell.[28]
Emmerich directed the action-thriller film White House Down, which involved a terrorist attack on the White House by a paramilitary group. The spec script was written by James Vanderbilt and was purchased by Sony Pictures for $3 million in March 2012. The Hollywood Reporter called it "one of the biggest spec sales in quite a while". The journal said the script was similar "tonally and thematically" to the films Die Hard, Air Force One and Olympus Has Fallen (2013). Emmerich began filming in July 2012 at the La Cité Du Cinéma in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The film was released on 28 June 2013 in the United States.
Whenever asked about making a personal project, Emmerich thought it would be "a gay film", and after friends during production of Anonymous asked if he could make a film on the Stonewall riots, Emmerich got interested in the idea.[29] Stonewall was released in 2015.[30] He followed it with a sequel to his most successful film in Independence Day: Resurgence, released twenty years after the original Independence Day on 24 June 2016.[31]
In November 2019, Emmerich directed the film
2020s
In 2020, it was announced that Emmerich's next film project would be entitled Moonfall, released in 2022 by Lionsgate. The project is a space disaster film about a mysterious force knocking the moon from its orbit around Earth, sending it on a collision course with the planet. In response, a ragtag team launches a last-ditch mission to land on the lunar surface and save Earth from annihilation.[32][33] with the production budget standing at $150 million.[34]
Future projects
Following the release of Moonfall, Emmerich said he has been working on a TV series based on T. E. Lawrence for around a decade, and stated he has three projects he would like to make, a mistaken identity period piece set in 1919 about a young writer having to take control of a film set, another about a conquistador, and a third about the death of Marilyn Monroe.[1]
In June 2023, Emmerich announced a franchise titled Space Nation which will consist of a
Personal life and advocacy
Emmerich owns homes in Los Angeles, New York City, London and Stuttgart.[5][36][37][38][39] He likes to decorate his homes in a self-described "outlandish" manner,[39] adorning them with rare Hollywood memorabilia, murals and portraits of dictators and Communist figures, and World War II militaria.[5][38]
He is a collector of art and an
Emmerich has claimed that he witnessed overt racism when producers and studio executives were opposed to allowing him to cast Will Smith for the lead in Independence Day, and reluctant to allow him to portray an interracial couple in The Day After Tomorrow.[43] He has also claimed that he has encountered homophobia from the same groups, and is vocal in his opposition to such behavior.[43] He has stated that sometimes he does "[not like working in] the movie business", describing it as a sometimes "very cold, brutal business", but his motivation to keep directing is that he genuinely "like[s] making movies".[5]
In 2006, he pledged $150,000 to the Legacy Project, a campaign dedicated to gay and lesbian film preservation. Emmerich made the donation on behalf of Outfest, making it the largest gift in the festival's history.[44] In 2007, on behalf of the LGBT community, he held a fundraiser at his Los Angeles home for Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[38] In 2011, he became a U.S. citizen while keeping his German citizenship. He stated he did so because he "wanted to have a vote in the next US elections" and that he waited because he "didn’t want to become an American under Bush."[45]
Emmerich is in favor of the campaign for
Emmerich is married to Omar De Soto.[50]
Filmography
In addition to film,
Film
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Franzmann | Yes | Yes | No |
Wilde Witwe (Short film) | Yes | No | No | |
1984 | The Noah's Ark Principle | Yes | Yes | Co-producer |
1985 | Joey | Yes | Yes | Co-producer |
1987 | Hollywood-Monster | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1990 | Moon 44 | Yes | Story | Yes |
1992 | Universal Soldier | Yes | No | No |
1994 | Stargate | Yes | Yes | No |
1996 | Independence Day | Yes | Yes | Executive |
1998 | Godzilla | Yes | Yes | Executive |
2000 | The Patriot | Yes | No | Executive |
2004 | The Day After Tomorrow | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2008 | 10,000 BC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2009 | 2012 | Yes | Yes | Executive |
2011 | Anonymous | Yes | No | Yes |
2013 | White House Down | Yes | No | Yes |
2015 | Stonewall | Yes | No | Yes |
2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2019 | Midway | Yes | No | Yes |
2022 | Moonfall | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Executive producer
- Eye of the Storm (1991)
- Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
- Hell (2011)
- Last Will & Testament (2012) (Documentary)
Producer
- The High Crusade (1994)
- The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
- Trade (2007)
- The Magic Flute (2022)
Television
Year(s) | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Altosax | No | No | Yes | TV movie |
1997–1998 | The Visitor | No | Yes | Yes | |
1998–2000 | Godzilla: The Series | No | Yes | No | |
2012 | Dark Horse | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV movie |
2024 | Those About to Die | Yes | Yes | No | Upcoming series[53] |
Critical reception
Reviewers often criticize Emmerich's films for relying heavily on visual effects and suffering from clichéd dialogue, flimsy and formulaic narratives, numerous scientific and historical inaccuracies, illogical plot developments, and lack of character depth.[54][55][56] Emmerich contends that he is not discouraged by such criticism and that he aims to provide enjoyable "popcorn" entertainment to movie-going audiences.[46] Stating that he is "a filmmaker, not a scientist", he creates his own fiction based on actual science or history to make the messages he sends "more exciting".[57]
In response to accusations of insensitivity for including scenes of
Acknowledging what he characterized as flaws with Godzilla, Emmerich admitted he regretted having agreed to direct it. He stated that his lack of interest in the previous
Emmerich has also faced criticism from the
Similarly, Emmerich touted his 2016 film Independence Day: Resurgence as having a gay couple,[63] but when the film was released, Johnny Gayzmonic of Unicorn Booty criticized the film because the couple in question was two trivial characters lacking in believable chemistry who were utilized solely for comic relief, one of whom was needlessly killed off in a way that was not vital to the plot (the other having been depicted as strictly heterosexual in tie-in material to the first film), the characters only being revealed to have been a gay couple during the aforementioned death scene (with references to their relationship being cut from the Chinese version of the film), a fate that Gayzmonic observed befell many gay couples in film.[64]
Year | Film | Rotten Tomatoes[65] | Metacritic[66] |
---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||
1992 | Universal Soldier | 33% | 35/100 |
1994 | Stargate | 53% | 42/100 |
1996 | Independence Day | 67% | 59/100 |
1998 | Godzilla | 15% | 32/100 |
2000 | The Patriot | 62% | 63/100 |
2004 | The Day After Tomorrow | 45% | 47/100 |
2008 | 10,000 BC | 9% | 34/100 |
2009 | 2012 | 39% | 49/100 |
2011 | Anonymous | 45% | 50/100 |
2013 | White House Down | 52% | 52/100 |
2015 | Stonewall | 9% | 30/100 |
2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | 29% | 32/100 |
2019 | Midway | 41% | 47/100 |
2022 | Moonfall | 43% | 36/100 |
Awards and nominations
Notes
- ^ Year in which awards ceremony was held
References
- ^ a b c "Roland Emmerich, Master of Disaster, Returns to Big-Screen Cataclysms With 'Moonfall'". The Hollywood Reporter. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Roland Emmerich". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Roland Emmerich". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (22 August 1995). "Space Under Fire". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hilary Whiteman (7 March 2008). "Roland Emmerich, the accidental director". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ a b c Hilary Whiteman (10 March 2008). "Roland Emmerich: Making it big". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars Star Wars Original Trilogy DVD Box Set: Bonus Materials, [2004]
- ^ a b c d Richard Corliss (8 July 1996). "The Invasion Has Begun". TIME. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Sci Fi Wire. Archived from the originalon 3 September 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
- ^ "Top Opening Weekends by Month". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (28 July 1995). "Space Under Fire". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 9 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
- ^ "Bethesda". PC Gamer. 1994. p. 64. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ Ginsberg, Steven (23 December 1996). "At Bethesda Softworks, an Emphasis on Cool". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ A.J. Jacobs (19 July 1996). "The Day After". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
- ^ Film History of the 1990s Archived 7 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine filmsite.org. Retrieved on 8 July 2008.
- ^ "Independence Day." Archived 23 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 8 July 2008.
- ^ "William Fay Bio." Archived 18 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine www.10000bcmovie.com. Retrieved on 4 March 2008.
- ^ "Godzilla (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 16 January 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
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- ^ "Tomato Picker 2008 films with <10% "fresh" ratings". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
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- ^ Fleming, Michael (21 February 2008). "Sony buys Emmerich's '2012'". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ^ Pawlowski, Agnes (27 January 2009). "Apocalypse in 2012? Date spawns theories, film". CNN. CNN. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ "October 9, 2009 – Anonymous / Roland Emmerich talks about his next project – Corona Coming Attractions". www.coronacomingattractions.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- Empire Online. Bauer Consumer Media. Archived from the originalon 14 August 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ What Happened to 'Singularity,' the Roland Emmerich Blockbuster That Never Was?
- ^ "Director Roland Emmerich on Telling the Story of Stonewall". ComingSoon.net. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ Buchanan, Kyle (31 July 2015). "Roland Emmerich Discusses His Gay-Rights Drama Stonewall and Debuts the Exclusive Poster". Vulture. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ Powell, Corey S. (24 June 2016). "Getting Under the Alien Skin of the New 'Independence Day'". Esquire. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Kit, Borys (19 May 2020). "Halle Berry to Star in Roland Emmerich's Sci-Fi Movie 'Moonfall' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Josh Gad to Star in Roland Emmerich's Disaster Thriller 'Moonfall'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (16 January 2020). "Roland Emmerich's 'Moonfall' Gets China Distribution, Spring Start". Deadline. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ White, Peter (28 June 2023). "Roland Emmerich Unveils 'Space Nation', Franchise Encompassing TV Series, Online Game & Animated Shorts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ UGO. Archived from the originalon 7 January 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ a b c "BRILLIANT OR BAD TASTE? Director Roland Emmerich's Knightsbridge Townhouse". Cottage Industries. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ a b c "LGBT hold fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at Roland Emmerich's Hollywood Home". 4seasons Photography. 22 July 2007. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Kathryn Harris (25 October 2008). "There's no manifesto". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (25 June 2013). "Roland Emmerich: Independence Day 2 to Feature Gay Character". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ a b c Hruska, Rachelle J. (7 October 2008). "Roland Emmerich's Far From Conservative Style". Guest of a Guest. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- The Huffington Post. Archived from the originalon 2 October 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ a b The Day After Tomorrow Director/Producer DVD Commentary (2004)
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- ^ "Director of worst gay film ever to tie the knot this summer". Gay Star News. 20 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Roland Emmerich filmography at AllMovie
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- ^ Petski, Denise (7 April 2024). "'Those About To Die' Unveils Premiere Date & Teaser". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "The Day After Tomorrow (2004)". rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ "The Patriot (2000)". rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ "10,000 BC (2008)". rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d Gilchrist, Todd (May 2004). "The Day After Tomorrow: An Interview with Roland Emmerich". blackfilm.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ Billington, Alex (3 March 2008). "Roland Emmerich (Almost) Explains What Happens in 2012". Firstshowing.net. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ Keeley, Matt (6 August 2015). "UPDATED: Roland Emmerich's 'Stonewall' Has A White/Cis Hero, And That's A Problem". Unicorn Booty. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Villarreal, Daniel (28 September 2015). "5 Problems Besides Whitewashing in the Film "Stonewall"". Unicorn Booty. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (18 June 2016). "Roland Emmerich: 'I like to say I was driven out of Germany by the critics'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ "Stonewall (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (21 March 2015). "Roland Emmerich on 'Independence Day 2's' Gay Couple: It's Not "a Big Deal"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Gayzmonic, Johnny (24 June 2016). "The Gay Couple In Independence Day: Resurgence Don't Get Their Due". Unicorn Booty. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
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- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
External links
- Roland Emmerich at IMDb
- Roland Emmerich Producer Profile for The 1 Second Film Archived 25 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Interview with Roland Emmerich from July 2009
- Centropolis Entertainment Archived 29 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine