Film lovers everywhere are mourning the death of director Joel Schumacher who died in New York on Monday at the age of 80. Schumacher’s films included The Lost Boys (1987), The Client (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Flatliners (1990) and Dying Young (1991), both starring Julia Roberts, and Falling Down (1993), with Michael Douglas.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Schumacher had an uncanny ability to recognize young talent, and he cast members of “The Brat Pack” — including Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy — in St. Elmo’s Fire (1985). He also boosted the careers of other young actors like Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Matthew McConaughey and Colin Farrell by giving them prominent parts in his films.
Early on in Hollywood, Schumacher served as costume designer on Woody Allen’s Sleeper (1973) and Paul Mazursky’s Blume in Love (1973) and wrote screenplays for the well-received Sparkle (1976), Car Wash (1976) and The Wiz (1978). One of the first features he directed was D.C. Cab (1983), starring Mr. T.
After Tim Burton helmed the first two Batman films starring Michael Keaton in 1989 and 1992, Warners entrusted Schumacher with the franchise, and he pumped up the visuals in Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), infusing the movies with a more comic-book feel. (He also gave Val Kilmer’s Caped Crusader more muscles and George Clooney nipples on his Batsuit.)”
For more about Joel Schumacher, make sure to read this in-depth interview from 2019 with New York Magazine.
