Joe Johnston

Joseph Eggleston Johnston II[1] (born May 13, 1950)[1] is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Jumanji (1995) and Jurassic Park III (2001). These movies include a number of period films such as The Rocketeer (1991), The Wolfman (2010), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Johnston also directed the biographical drama October Sky (1999).
== Early life ==
Johnston was born in Austin, Texas,[2] and attended California State University, Long Beach, and Pasadena's Art Center College of Design.
== Career ==
=== Design and visual effects ===
Much of the work at the beginning of Johnston's screen career combined design and special effects. He began his career as a concept artist and effects technician on the first Star Wars film, directed by George Lucas, and was art director on one of the effects teams for the sequel. His association with Lucas would later prove fruitful, when he became one of four to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Lucas and Steven Spielberg's film Raiders of the Lost Ark.[3] Johnston continued to work on many films as an effects expert.
He was also associate producer on fantasy Willow, and production designer on two mid-80s TV movies which featured the Ewoks seen in Return of the Jedi.
Johnston is also author of Star Wars novel The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense, which ties into Return of the Jedi (New York: Random House, 1984; ISBN 0-394-86568-5, ISBN 0-394-96568-X).[4]
In 1984, Lucas gave Johnston a sabbatical, with salary, and paid his tuition to attend the USC School of Cinematic Arts.[5] Johnston left after a year, saying he "was asked not to return" because he "broke too many rules".[6]
=== Directing ===
Johnston made his directorial debut in 1989 with hit comedy adventure Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, starring Rick Moranis. He followed it with comic-book adaptation The Rocketeer (1991). The film was a commercial failure, as was his next, the animated and live-action The Pagemaster. Johnston rebounded, directing the family hit Jumanji, starring Robin Williams. The film overcame lukewarm reviews to gross over $260 million.[7]
Johnston was set to direct Hulk,[8] but dropped out in July 1997. Johnston then switched gears from effects-driven action films to the more personal October Sky (1999), starring a teenage Jake Gyllenhaal as a 1950s West Virginia high school student who dreams of being a rocket scientist for NASA against his father's wishes.
Johnston's first project of the 2000s was the sequel Jurassic Park III, which made over US$300 million at the box office. Johnston followed it with western Hidalgo, starring Viggo Mortensen. Johnston then took a six-year directorial break before signing on at a month's notice to take over the 2010 remake of 1941 horror classic The Wolfman. Shot in England, the film starred Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.
In part thanks to his experience with the period superhero film The Rocketeer, Johnston was selected to direct Marvel Studios superhero adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger. Released on July 22, 2011,[9] the film stars Chris Evans as the comic book hero and Hugo Weaving as his archenemy the Red Skull. In 2012, Johnston directed the thriller Not Safe for Work for Blumhouse Productions.
On April 26, 2017, Variety announced that Johnston had been hired by the Mark Gordon Company to direct the fourth installment of The Chronicles of Narnia film series, originally from Walden Media, The Silver Chair.[10] On November 4, 2017, Joe Johnston announced that The Silver Chair would be his final directorial effort.[11] On December 12, 2017, The Hollywood Reporterreported that Johnston would helm 32 days of reshoots on the film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms due to its director Lasse Hallström being unavailable.[12]
== Filmography ==
=== Feature films ===
Year	Title 	Director	Producer	Effects Artist	Art Director	Actor	Notes 	1977	Star Wars			Yes		Yes	Death Star trooper (uncredited)
1980	The Empire Strikes Back 	 	 	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	Captain Shawn Valdez - Hoth Rebel (uncredited) 	 	 			 		 	
1981	Raiders of the Lost Ark 	 	 	Yes 	Yes 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
1983	Return of the Jedi 	 	 	 	Yes 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
1984	Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 	 	 	 	Yes 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
1986	Howard the Duck 	 	 	 	Yes 	 	Ultralight sequence designer 	 	 			 		 	
1987	Batteries Not Included 	 	 	 	 	 	Second unit director, production manager 	 	 			 		 	
1988	Willow 	 	Yes 	 	 	 	Associate producer 	 	 			 		 	
1989	Always 	 	 	 	Yes 	 	Aerial sequence designer 	 	 			 		 	
1989	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
1991	The Rocketeer 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
1994	The Pagemaster 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	Live-action scenes 	 	 			 		 	
1995	Jumanji 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
1999	The Iron Giant 	 	 	 	 	 	Designer: Iron Giant 	 	 			 		 	
1999	October Sky 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
2001	Jurassic Park III 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
2004	Hidalgo 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
2010	The Wolfman 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
2011	Captain America: The First Avenger 	Yes 	Yes 	 	 	 	Executive producer 	 	 			 		 	
2014	Not Safe for Work 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
2014	The Lawful Truth 	 	 	 	 	Yes 	Captain Waters 	 	 			 		 	
2018	The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 	Yes 	 	 	 	 	Reshoots;[13] given co-director credit along with Lasse Hallström.[14]	 	 			 		 	
2020	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair[15][16]	Yes 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			 		 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Notes
1978–1979	Battlestar Galactica 	Effects illustration and design
1984 	The Ewok Adventure 	Production Designer
TV movie
1985 	Ewoks: The Battle for Endor 	Production Designer
TV movie
1985 	Star Wars: Droids 	Writer
Episode: "Coby and the Starhunters"
1993 	The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles	Director
Episode: "Princeton, February 1916"
2015 	Lumen 	Director
Executive producer
TV movie
2017 	The Creeps 	Executive producer
Short
== Critical reception ==
Film 	Rotten Tomatoes	
Film 	Overall 	Overall
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) 	73%[17] 	
The Rocketeer (1991) 	61%[18] 	
The Pagemaster (1994) 	18%[19] 	
Jumanji (1995) 	50%[20] 	
October Sky (1999) 	90%[21] 	
Jurassic Park III (2001) 	50%[22] 	
Hidalgo (2004) 	47%[23] 	
The Wolfman (2010) 	35%[24] 	
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)	80%[25] 	
Not Safe for Work (2014) 	N/A[26] 	
== Accolades ==
Year	Award 	Category 	Film 	Result 	1981	Academy Award	Best Visual Effects Shared with Richard Edlund, Kit West and Bruce Nicholson	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Won
1990	International Fantasy Film Award 	Best Film 	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
1992	Hugo Award 	Best Dramatic Presentation Shared with Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, William Dear andDave Stevens	The Rocketeer 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
1995	International Fantasy Film Award 	Best Film Shared with Pixote Hunt 	The Pagemaster 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
1996	Saturn Award 	Best Director 	Jumanji 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
1996	Young Artist Award 	Best Family Feature - Action-Adventure 	Jumanji 	Won 	 	 	 	 	
1999	Ajijic International Film Festival Award 	Best Film 	October Sky 	Won 	 	 	 	 	
2001	Saturn Award 	Best Science Fiction Film 	Jurassic Park III 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
2001	Golden Trailer Award 	Best Horror/Thriller Film 	Jurassic Park III 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
2001	Golden Raspberry Award 	Worst Remake or Sequel 	Jurassic Park III 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
2004	Golden Trailer Award 	Best Drama 	Hidalgo 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
2010	Saturn Award 	Best Horror/Thriller Film 	The Wolfman 	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
2012	Hugo Award 	Best Dramatic Presentation Shared with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely 	Captain America: The First Avenger	Nominated	 	 	 	 	
2012	Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Award	Best Film 	Captain America: The First Avenger	Nominated