Joel Schumacher, a costume designer-turned-director for films like Batman Forever, St. Elmo’s Fire and The Lost Boys, has died. He was 80.
Multiple outlets report that Schumacher died in New York City on Monday after a year-long battle with cancer. 360aproko has reached out to Schumacher’s rep for comment.
Following Tim Burton’s exit from the Batman franchise, Schumacher took over as director for 1995’s Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman. He also directed 1997’s Batman and Robin, with George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Schumacher also helmed a number of other film projects over the years, including The Client, Flatliners, Falling Down, A Time to Kill. Phone Booth, Bad Company and the feature adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera.
In his earlier Hollywood days, Schumacher served as costume designer on films like Play It as It Lays, Sleeper and Blume in Love, and wrote screenplays for Sparkle, Car Wash and The Wiz. When asked by Venice magazine in 1999 what advice he had for first-time directors, he said, “Be bold, take risks, follow your own instincts.”
“Listen to other people only when you really believe in your gut that they’re right,” he continued. “Get a great cast. Get a cinematographer that isn’t jealous that you’re the director. Get an editor that’s not jealous you’re the director. You can do it.”
