# Alex Proyas

Alexander Proyas (/ˈprɔɪəs/ PROY-əs; born 23 September 1963) is an Australian film director. He is known for directing the films The Crow (1994), Dark City (1998), I, Robot (2004) and Knowing (2009).

## Early life

Alexander Proyas was born in Alexandria (then in the United Arab Republic and now in Egypt) on 23 September 1963, the son of a Greek Cypriot mother and a father from Egypt whose Greek ancestors had moved to Egypt many generations ago.
When he was three years old, the family moved to Australia, where he grew up in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo. He grew up on a housing estate where the main tenants were fellow immigrants and Indigenous Australians, with whom he felt a kinship because they were all often subjected to racism by white Australians.
At age 17, he joined the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and began directing music videos shortly after.
He later moved to Los Angeles to further his career, working on MTV music videos and TV commercials.

## Career

Proyas' first feature film was the independent science fiction thriller Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds, which was nominated for two Australian Film Institute awards in 1988, for costume design and production design and which won a Special Prize at the 1990 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.
Next, Proyas directed the 1994 superhero fantasy thriller The Crow starring Brandon Lee. Lee was killed in an accident during filming, only eight days before the completion of the film on 31 March 1993. After Lee's death, Proyas and his producers decided to complete the film, partially rewriting the script and using a stunt double and special effects to film the remaining scenes. The Crow was released in May 1994 and was a box office and critical success.
Proyas then wrote, directed and produced the 1998 science fiction thriller Dark City, which received positive critical reception and won several awards but was a commercial disappointment. In 2004, he directed I, Robot starring Will Smith, a science fiction film suggested by the Isaac Asimov short story compilation I, Robot and was a box office success despite mixed reviews.
Proyas' next film, the thriller Knowing starring Nicolas Cage, began production in Melbourne in March 2008 and opened in North America in March 2009.
Proyas directed Gods of Egypt, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and co-written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The film was critically panned upon its release in 2016 and bombed at the box office.
In 2019, Proyas founded a production company in Sydney called The Heretic Foundation.
In 2021, Proyas announced that he was developing a new video platform named VidiVerse for independent filmmakers as an alternative to YouTube.
In 2024, Proyas began filming R.U.R. a musical adaptation of the play of the same name by Karel Čapek.

### Unrealized projects

* Casper the Friendly Ghost film - Proyas was initially attached to direct a film adaptation of Casper the Friendly Ghost, but on November 28, 1993, Proyas left the film to finish The Crow after Brandon Lee was fatally shot. On October 26, 2008, Proyas admitted that the screenplay was rewritten not to his liking. The film was ultimately directed by Brad Silberling.
* The Masque of the Red Death film - On May 7, 1999, it was announced that Proyas would direct a medieval fantasy film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s story The Masque of the Red Death, with Proyas and Stuart Hazeldine writing a Dirty Dozen-esqe screenplay and producing with Julie Corman and Andrew Mason for Fox 2000.
* Rizen - On May 7, 1999, it was announced that Proyas would direct Rizen, a horror-thriller written by Proyas and Stuart Hazeldine for Universal Pictures. It is unknown if Proyas revised the script to Sister Darkness.
* Untitled time-travel film - On August 24, 1999, it was announced that Proyas would produce and direct a time-travel film based on a pitch he and Jerrold E. Brown came up with for 20th Century Fox, with Brown writing the screenplay after Proyas was impressed by Brown's draft for a comedic Lobo movie.
* Enoch's Portal film - On June 2, 2000, it was announced that Proyas would write and direct the film adaptation of Andy Hill's suspense novel Enoch's Portal for Sean Daniel’s Alphaville Productions.
* Berserker film - On December 11, 2000, it was announced that Proyas would direct a film based on Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series with Jesse Alexander writing the script and New Line Cinema producing the film.
* Drive - On October 18, 2001, it was announced that Proyas would direct and produce a film based on Harlan Ellison's short story Along the Scenic Route entitled Drive with Cyrus Vorris and Ethan Reiff writing the script and Paramount Pictures producing the film.
* Jurassic Park 4 -
* Dracula Untold (fka Dracula: Year Zero) - On July 10, 2007, it was announced that Proyas would direct Dracula Year Zero for Universal Pictures, with Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless writing the screenplay. On February 10, 2012, it was reported that Gary Shore would be taking over the film, as Proyas and prospective star Sam Worthington had been let go from the project due to its high budget. The film was eventually retitled Dracula Untold and released in theatres October 10, 2014.
* The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag film - On August 22, 2008, Proyas was set to write and direct the film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s novella The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag and produce along with Phoenix Pictures. On April 10, 2012, Red Granite Pictures and James Vanderbilt’s Mythology Entertainment were set to produce Proyas' feature film adaptation with Phoenix Pictures.
* The Tripods film franchise - On January 29, 2009, it was announced that Proyas would direct and co-write with Stuart Hazeldine the film adaptation of John Christopher’s The Tripods starting with The White Mountain.
* Paradise Lost film - On September 16, 2010, Proyas was set to direct a 3-D film adaptation of John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost for Legendary Entertainment, with Bradley Cooper cast as Lucifer, Benjamin Walker as Michael, Djimon Hounsou as Abdiel, Casey Affleck as Gabriel, Dominic Purcell as Satan, Diego Boneta as Adam, Rufus Sewell as Sammael, Camilla Belle as Eve, Sam Reid as Raphael, and Callan McAuliffe as Uriel. On December 7, 2011, production was halted, and on February 9, 2012, Legendary officially scrapped the film.
* Amped film - On December 1, 2010, Proyas was set to produce and possibly direct the film adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson’s sci-fi thriller novel Amped for Summit Entertainment, and on March 18, 2011, Proyas was confirmed to direct the film adaptation.
* Joe Golem and the Drowning City film - On July 11, 2012, Proyas was set to write and direct the film adaptation of Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden’s comic book Joe Golem and the Drowning City for Constantin Film.
* Evolve TV series - On November 1, 2012, Proyas was set to direct and executive produce Evolve, a crime drama series about a biotoxin threat written by Jamie Paglia and produce for ABC, but the series was ultimately never picked up.
* A New Country - On February 17, 2020, Proyas revealed that he was making A New Country, a sci-fi movie starring Guy Pearce, but it likely fell through during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Dark City TV series - On August 12, 2021, Proyas revealed that he was making a television series of his movie Dark City.
* The Killer's Game - On August 8, 2004, Proyas was one of many directors offered to direct a film adaptation of Jay Bonansinga's novel The Killer's Game, but J. J. Perry ended up directing the feature film adaptation instead.
* Foundation - On January 16, 2009, Proyas was offered to direct a film adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation book series in a rights auction for Warner Bros. Pictures, but Roland Emmerich and Columbia Pictures acquired the rights instead, which lapsed and eventually became a television series on Apple TV+.
* A Nightmare on Elm Street sequel - On February 14, 2021, Proyas revealed on Indie Film Hustle that he was offered to direct a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street, but turned it down.

## Personal life

Proyas has long been married to artist Catherine "Cathy" Linsley, who worked in the art department for his first feature film Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. She has also worked in various capacities on short films and animations produced or written by Proyas. She was thanked in the credits of his film Knowing.

## Filmography
### Feature film

| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
| 1989 | Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1994 | The Crow | Yes | No | No |
| 1998 | Dark City | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2002 | Garage Days | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2004 | I, Robot | Yes | No | No |
| 2009 | Knowing | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | Gods of Egypt | Yes | Yes | No |
| TBA | R.U.R. | Yes | Yes | Yes |

### Short film

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1980 | Neon | Yes | No | Co-directed with Salik Silverstein |
| 1980 | Groping | Yes | No | Co-directed with Salik Silverstein; also cinematographer |
| 1981 | Strange Residues | Yes | No | Also editor |
| 1987 | Spineless | Yes | No | Also actor |
| 1994 | Book of Dreams: Welcome to Crateland | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer |
| 1995 | Book of Dreams: Dream 7 – Ruben's Dream | Yes | Yes | |
| 2019 | Phobos | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Mask of the Evil Apparition | Yes | Yes | Set in the Dark City cinematic universe |

### Music video

| Year | Title | Artist |
| 1980 | "Ricky's Hand" | Fad Gadget |
| 1983 | "Flicker" | Fetus Productions |
| 1985 | "In Your Eyes" | Dropbears |
| 1986 | "Kiss the Dirt" | INXS |
| 1986 | "Don't Dream It's Over" | Crowded House |
| 1987 | "Holiday" | The Other Ones |
| 1987 | "Rhythm of Love" | Yes |
| 1988 | "Better Be Home Soon" | Crowded House |
| 1988 | "Magic Touch" | Mike Oldfield |
| 1989 | "Bring Down the Moon" | Boy Meets Girl |
| 1989 | "Nineteen Forever" | Joe Jackson |
| 1989 | "Mysteries of Love" | Alphaville |
| 1994 | "When We Dance" | Sting |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1987 | ARIA Music Awards | Best Video | "Don't Dream It's Over" | Won |
| 1987 | ARIA Music Awards | Best Video | "Kiss the Dirt" | Nominated |
| 1994 | Cannes Film Festival | Short Film Palme d'Or | Book of Dreams: Welcome to Crateland | Nominated |
| 1994 | Saturn Awards | Best Director | The Crow | Nominated |
| 1998 | Imagine Film Festival | Silver Scream Award | Dark City | Won |
| 1998 | Bram Stoker Award | Best Screenplay | Dark City | Won |
| 1998 | Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival | Pegasus Audience Award | Dark City | Won |
| 1998 | Saturn Awards | Best Science Fiction Film | Dark City | Won |
| 1998 | Saturn Awards | Best Director | Dark City | Nominated |
| 1998 | Saturn Awards | Best Writing | Dark City | Nominated |
| 2016 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Picture | Gods of Egypt | Nominated |
| 2016 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Director | Gods of Egypt | Nominated |