Joel Schumacher

Joel T. Schumacher (August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American filmmaker. During a four-decade career, he directed more than 20 feature length films that spanned various genres. His films were commercially successful, grossing over a combined $1 billion.

Born in New York City, Schumacher worked as a fashion designer before entering filmmaking. After making his directorial debut in 1981 with the science fiction comedy The Incredible Shrinking Woman, he came to prominence with the 1985 coming-of-age drama St. Elmo's Fire and the 1987 comedy horror The Lost Boys. Schumacher directed several box office hits during the 1990s, including the science fiction horror Flatliners (1990), the romantic drama Dying Young (1991), the action drama Falling Down (1993), the crime thriller 8mm (1999), and the adaptations of the John Grisham novels The Client (1994) and A Time to Kill (1996).

In 1995, Schumacher took over the Batman film franchise with Batman Forever, which grossed more than $336 million. His 1997 follow-up Batman & Robin underperformed at the box office and became regarded as one of the worst films ever made. Schumacher was unable to maintain consistent commercial success afterwards, although the psychological thrillers Phone Booth (2002) and The Number 23 (2007) and his 2004 adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera were financial hits. His final films received limited theatrical releases, including the 2011 crime thriller Trespass, his last feature length work.