Alexander Proyas (/ˈprɔɪəs/ PROY-əs; born 23 September 1963) is an Australian filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films The Crow (1994), Dark City (1998), I, Robot (2004), and Knowing (2009).
Alex Proyas | |
|---|---|
 Proyas in July 2011 | |
| Born | Alexander Proyas 23 September 1963 Alexandria, Egypt, United Arab Republic |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | Catherine Linsley |
Early life
editAlexander 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.[1] When he was three years old, the family moved to Australia, where he grew up in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo.[2] 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.[1] At age 17, he joined the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and began directing music videos shortly after.[2] He later moved to Los Angeles to further his career, working on MTV music videos and TV commercials.[2][3]
Career
editProyas' 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[4] and which won a Special Prize at the 1990 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.[5]
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.[6] The Crow was released in May 1994 and was a box office and critical success.[7]
Proyas then wrote, directed and produced the 1998 science fiction thriller Dark City, which received positive critical reception and won several awards[8] but was a commercial disappointment. In 2004, he directed I, Robot starring Will Smith, a science fiction film suggested by[9] 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.[10]
His next project was meant to be an action-oriented adaptation of John Milton's 17th-century Christian epic poem Paradise Lost, starring Bradley Cooper.[11] Both Proyas and Cooper were on hand to debut concept art at ComicCon 2011,[12] but the project was ultimately cancelled over budgetary concerns related to the effects.[13]
Proyas also worked with John Foxx on the creation of Parallel Lives, a joint project.
In late 2012, it was revealed that Proyas was slated as director of the science fiction thriller film adaptation of the Daniel H. Wilson novel Amped.[14]
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[15] 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.[3]
In 2024, Proyas began filming R.U.R. a musical adaptation of the play of the same name by Karel Čapek.[16][17]
Personal life
editProyas 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.[18]
Filmography
editFeature film
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1994 | The Crow | Yes | No | No | Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director |
| 1998 | Dark City | Yes | Yes | Yes | Silver Scream Award Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay Film Critics Circle of Australia Pegasus Audience Award[19] Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Writing |
| 2002 | Garage Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004 | I, Robot | Yes | No | No | |
| 2009 | Knowing | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2016 | Gods of Egypt | Yes | Yes | No | Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
Short films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Neon | Yes | No | Co-directed with Salik Silverstein |
| 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 | Nominated – Short Film Palme d'Or; 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
edit| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Ricky's Hand" | Fad Gadget |
| 1983 | "Flicker" | Fetus Productions |
| 1985 | "In Your Eyes" | Dropbears |
| 1986 | "Kiss the Dirt" | INXS |
| "Don't Dream It's Over" | Crowded House | |
| 1987 | "Holiday" | The Other Ones |
| "Rhythm of Love" | Yes | |
| 1988 | "Better Be Home Soon" | Crowded House |
| "Magic Touch" | Mike Oldfield | |
| 1989 | "Bring Down the Moon" | Boy Meets Girl |
| "Nineteen Forever" | Joe Jackson | |
| "Mysteries of Love" | Alphaville | |
| 1994 | "When We Dance" | Sting |
Awards and nominations
editARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Alex Proyas for "Don't Dream It's Over" (Crowded House) | Best Video | Won | [20] |
| Alex Proyas for "Kiss the Dirt" (INXS) | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b Kapetopoulos, Fotis (17 February 2020). "Alex Proyas: Looking for a new country in filmmaking". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Lancaster, Kurt; Thomas J. Mikotowicz (2001). Performing the Force: Essays on Immersion into Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Environments. McFarland & Company. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-7864-0895-5.
- ^ a b Diana Ringo (25 August 2021). "Interview with Alex Proyas". Indie Cinema Magazine.
- ^ "Awards for Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds". IMDb. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Film Festival '90". yubarifanta.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca (13 May 1994). "How Crow Flew". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "The Crow (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "Awards for Dark City". IMDb. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "Full Cast and Crew for I, Robot". IMDb. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (10 December 2007). "Cage to star in Proyas' 'Knowing'". Variety. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ Sarafin, Jarrod. "Proyas Helms PARADISE LOST". Archived from the original on 18 September 2010.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (6 July 2011). "Comic-Con 2011: Legendary Pictures Announces Panel Featuring PARADISE LOST". Collider. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ Fleming, Mike (9 February 2012). "Bradley Cooper-Starrer 'Paradise Lost' Scrapped By Legendary Pictures". Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ Alex Proyas To Direct Sci-Fi Thriller Amped, From The Author of Robopocalypse, Cinemablend.com, 6 November 2012, retrieved 7 November 2012
- ^ "Alex Pyoyas' epic fantasy film project Gods of Egypt". geektyrant.com. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ Proyas, Alex. "RUR day 1". Instagram.
- ^ "R.U.R". MoJo Global Arts.
- ^ Cathy Linsley: Thanks (1 credit) 2009 Knowing (the producers wish to thank from IMDB Accessed 30 April 2019
- ^ "Awards for Alex Proyas". IMDb. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "Winners by Award – Artisan Awards – Best Video". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 December 2019.