Joel Schumacher, who directed a number of hit films over the years including “The Lost Boys” and two “Batman” films, has died at age 80…
Director Joel Schumacher — who led films such as “The Lost Boys,” “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin” — has died at age 80.
Schumacher passed away on Monday following a long battle with cancer.
A native of New York City, Schumacher first came to prominence in the 1980’s with his work on several iconic films including “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “The Lost Boys,” which remains a cult classic to this day. Schumacher also directed the film “Flatliners,” which was another crossover into the science fiction-horror field after his work on “The Lost Boys.”
in 1995, Schumacher took over the Batman franchise following the exit of director Tim Burton following his work on two films. Schumacher ultimately directed both “Batman Forever” and the much maligned “Batman and Robin.” Schumacher worked with two different actors — Val Kilmer and George Clooney — playing Batman under his direction.
While “Batman and Robin” earned a respectable amount of money at the box office, the film was a critical disaster as Schumacher all but abandoned the dark overtones in Burton’s films and instead focused on a campy vibe that was closer to the 1960’s “Batman” television series.
Following his work on those two films, Schumacher stayed busy working on films such as “8MM” and “The Phantom of the Opera” adaptation, which received several Oscar nominations. Most recently, Schumacher directed a pair of episodes of the Netflix TV series “House of Cards.”
