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 Joel Silver
(1952)
Producer)
He is one of the most prolific and successful producers in the history of motion pictures, has produced more than 50 films, including the groundbreaking “The Matrix” trilogy, the blockbuster four-part “Lethal Weapon” franchise, and the seminal action films “Die Hard” and “Predator.” To date, Silver’s catalog of films have earned over $10 billion in worldwide revenue from all sources.
Under his Silver Pictures banner, Silver recently produced the holiday release “Sherlock Holmes,” an action adventure mystery, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective and Jude Law as Watson.
Silver structured a deal for his Dark Castle Entertainment production company that gives him green-lighting power and creative control of all films produced under the banner, to be distributed by Warner Bros. Silver produced Dark Castle’s latest release, the actioner “Ninja Assassin,” directed by James McTeigue and starring Rain. Dark Castle also has a number of films upcoming, including the actioner “The Losers,” based on the DC Comics graphic novels, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Jason Patric; the thriller “Unknown White Male,” starring Liam Neeson, January Jones and Diane Kruger; and the psychological thriller “The Factory,” starring John Cusack.
Dark Castle previously produced a string of hit films beginning with the record-breaking 1999 opening of “House on Haunted Hill,” followed by “Thir13en Ghosts” in 2001, “Ghost Ship” in 2002, “Gothika” in 2003 and “House of Wax” in 2005. Dark Castle more recently released Guy Ritchie’s critically acclaimed actioner “RocknRolla,” with an ensemble cast led by Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton and Mark Strong, and the horror thriller “Orphan,” starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard.
Previously, Silver’s 1999 production “The Matrix” grossed over $456 million globally, earning more than any other Warner Bros. Pictures film in the studio’s history at the time of its release. Universally acclaimed for its innovative storytelling and visuals, “The Matrix” won four Academy Awards®, including Best Visual Effects. The first DVD release to sell one million units, “The Matrix” DVD was instrumental in powering the initial sale of consumer DVD machines. The second installment of the epic “Matrix” trilogy, “The Matrix Reloaded,” earned over $739 million at the worldwide box office. The opening weekend box office receipts for “The Matrix Revolutions,” the final chapter in the explosive trilogy, totaled a staggering $203 million worldwide. To date, “The Matrix” franchise has grossed $3 billion from all sources worldwide.
While overseeing production on “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” Silver produced the integral video game “Enter the Matrix,” which features one hour of additional film footage written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong, who reprised their roles from the films. He also executive produced “The Animatrix,” a groundbreaking collection of nine short anime films inspired by the visionary action and storytelling that power “The Matrix.”
Silver later produced the action thriller “V for Vendetta,” based on the acclaimed graphic novel and starring Natalie Portman; the action comedy thriller “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” written and directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan; and the Wachowski brothers’ “Speed Racer.” He also produced the hit films “Romeo Must Die,” starring Jet Li and Aaliyah; “Exit Wounds,” starring Steven Seagal and DMX; and “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.
A successful television producer as well, Silver executive produced the CBS series “Moonlight,” a romantic thriller with a twist on the vampire legend, which won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in its debut year. He was previously an executive producer on the critically acclaimed UPN television series “Veronica Mars,” starring Kristen Bell. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill and Robert Zemeckis, eight seasons of the award-winning HBO series “Tales from the Crypt,” as well as two “Tales from the Crypt” films.
Silver began his career as an associate producer on “The Warriors,” and then produced “48 HRS.,” “Streets of Fire” and “Brewster’s Millions.”
In 1985, Silver launched his Silver Pictures production banner with the breakout hit “Commando,” followed by “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Predator.” Silver Pictures solidified its status as one of the industry’s leading production companies with the release of the “Lethal Weapon” series and the action blockbusters “Die Hard” and “Die Hard 2: Die Harder.” Silver also went on to produce “The Last Boy Scout,” “Demolition Man,” “Richie Rich,” “Executive Decision” and “Conspiracy Theory.”
Long before starting his producing career, as a student at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey in 1967, Silver and a group of his friends developed a game called Ultimate Frisbee. The fast-moving team sport has since become a global phenomenon supported by tournaments in 50 countries.
Date of Birth: July 14, 1952 (USA, South Orange, New Jersey)
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