Mortal Kombat Director

Background:

"I don't think it would be possible for me to respect people like Ridley Scott or James Cameron more than I already do. They're gods of filmmaking." Paul W.S. Anderson

British film director/writer/producer Paul W.S. Anderson was first noticed for his debut film, "Shopping" (1994), a violent low-budget independent movie which was banned in the U.K. and stars then-unknown Jude Law in his first lead role. Afterward, he began directing a string of sci-fi movies and video game adaptations, most notably the highly successful "Mortal Kombat" (1995), "Resident Evil" (2002) and "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" (2004).

Anderson's new film, "Death Race," a remake of the 1975 action-thriller film "Death Race 2000," stars Jason Statham in the lead role and will hit theaters on August 22, 2008. Anderson is currently directing the film adaptation of the once successful 1983 arcade game, "Spy Hunter," and is set to helm a crime/drama/thriller titled "Man with the Football," starring Jason Isaacs.

"If you work with a subject matter beloved by a hardcore fan base, then there's going to be a huge amount of discussion of what you've got wrong or right. In some ways you can never please overly obsessive fans. It's just impossible." Paul W.S. Anderson

As for his private life, the 6' 3" filmmaker is engaged to model/actress Milla Jovovich, with whom he has one daughter.

Paul William Scott

Childhood and Family:

Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, on March 4, 1965, Paul William Scott Anderson attended Warwick University where he graduated as the youngest student to achieve a BA in Film & Literature. .

Anderson is engaged to actress/model Milla Jovovich (born on December 17, 1975), whom he directed in the first “Resident Evil” (2002). They have one daughter together, Ever Anderson, who was born on November 3, 2007.

Resident Evil

Career:

Graduating from Warwick University, Paul W.S. Anderson started out writing for various genres, one of which was the cop drama series called "El C.I.D." (1990). He also wrote and directed a short film titled “Speed,” which was filmed in his native Newcastle, and an award-winning documentary called “The Spiral Cage.” Additionally, he formed a film cooperative in his hometown and trained aspiring filmmakers in all aspects of the craft.

In 1994, Anderson made his film debut with the violent low-budget independent “Shopping.” The film, which tells about a group of British teenagers who indulge in joyriding, was banned in the U.K, and in the U.S., a slightly trimmed version appeared on video. It received an International Fantasy Film Award nomination for Best Film at Fantasporto.

“Shopping” (1994) is also notable as the first major leading role for actor Jude Law. Law, who won the part over a then-equally unknown Ewan McGregor, met his future wife, Sadie Frost, on the set of this film.

The following year, Anderson directed the highly successful action film based on the popular series of fighting games by Midway, "Mortal Kombat" (1995). It received rave reviews from critics and cruised into the top box-office spot. The soundtrack of the movie also went platinum in less than two weeks, making it the first major success for a video game-movie adaptation, which is only surpassed by 2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider."

Anderson was subsequently asked to direct "Event Horizon" (1997), a science fiction horror film starring Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, and Joely Richardson. Although considered a box office failure, the film, which is set in the year of 2047, has developed a cult following over the years. It earned Anderson the Pegasus Audience Award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film.

Anderson's next project, "Soldier" (1998), starred Kurt Russell. The film, which also features Gary Busey, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs, Connie Nielsen, and Michael Chiklis, failed to perform well at the box office. The $75 million-budgeted film only grossed $15 million worldwide.

Entering the new millennium, Anderson retreated to the small screen, writing and directing the made-for-television movie "The Sight" (2000), a mystery/thriller starring Andrew McCarthy. Two years later, he returned to the film scene when he was hired by Sony Pictures Entertainment to write the screenplay and direct "Resident Evil" (2002), a science fiction horror film loosely based on the series of survival horror games developed by Capcom. The film starred Anderson's future fiancée Milla Jovovich.

"Resident Evil" (2002) spawned two sequels, “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” (2004) and “Resident Evil: Extinction” (2007), which would be directed by Alexander Witt and Russell Mulcahy respectively. Anderson couldn’t direct the sequels because of his commitments to other projects. However, he continued his involvement in the sequels by writing and producing them.

"You know, when we made 'Resident Evil' the first movie, no one had made a proper zombie film in about 20 years. We were the first, but since then there have been a whole slew of undead movies and there’s a whole bunch of imagery that’s become very, very familiar: a city, be it American or British, overrun with undead. We did it in 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' and I thought the way we could top that with this movie was to choose a completely fresh landscape. So the idea was we took the movie into the desert because it’s the least populated part of America. It’s like if it’s a world run over with the undead, the last thing you want to do is be in the center of the populace where there are tens of thousands of undead. You want to keep on the move so they’re not drawn to the scent, because they’re slow and you can be fast as long as you find the gas to keep your convoy moving." Paul W.S. Anderson

Next, Anderson directed Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen in the science fiction film "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" (2004), an adaptation of the 1989 comic book. Released by 20th Century Fox on August 13, 2004, in North America, the film received primarily negative reviews from film critics, but became the most commercially successful film in the franchise, grossing a total of $171 million. The film's success led to a sequel, "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" (2007), directed by the Brothers Strause (Colin and Greg) and starring Steven Pasquale and Reiko Aylesworth.

"'AVP: Alien vs. Predator' (2004) is not trying to be 'Alien' (1979) or 'Aliens' (1986) and it's not trying to be 'Predator' (1987). Those are genius movies. The impact that these creatures had on audiences was immense. But 26 years on and dozens of comic books later, everyone knows what the Alien looks like. You've got to do something different with it and make a slightly different movie. So in a way we were definitely making an 'Alien' and a 'Predator' movie, but a different one from the one the other directors had made." Paul W.S. Anderson

He also produced "The Dark" (2005; starring Maria Bello and Sean Bean), John Fawcett's horror film based on the novel "Sheep" by Simon Maginn, and "DOA: Dead or Alive" (2006), Corey Yuen's martial arts film loosely based on the Tecmo/Team Ninja fighting game series of the same name.

Anderson has recently completed his new film, "Death Race," a remake of the 1975 action-thriller film "Death Race 2000." The film stars Jason Statham and should be released in August 2008.

Anderson is currently on the set directing "Spy Hunter," a film adaptation based on the once successful 1983 arcade game developed and released by Bally Midway. He took over the directing job for John Woo, who left the project because of scheduling conflicts. It has also been announced that he will direct a crime/drama/thriller called "Man with the Football," starring Jason Isaacs.

Additionally, Anderson serves as the producer and writer for the upcoming films "Castlevania," a horror/action directed by Sylvain White, and a thriller titled "Necropolis." He will also produce Christian Alvart's upcoming movie, "Pandorum," starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, and Norman Reedus.

Awards:

• Genie: Golden Reel Award, "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," 2005

• Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film: Pegasus Audience Award, "Event Horizon," 1998