Paul W.S. Anderson

PAUL W.S. ANDERSON has become internationally known for his action-packed, edge-of-your-seat films. All together, his films have grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide, with No. 1 weekends around the globe—an accomplishment that puts him in an elite group of filmmakers. Anderson turns epic stories into must-see movies, having launched four successful film franchises and tackled diverse subjects such as classic literature, science fiction, video-game franchises and historical fiction.

Anderson directed and produced his update of an Alexandre Dumas classic, The Three Musketeers. Filmed in 3-D, the film stars Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Christoph Waltz, Gabriella Wilde and Orlando Bloom.

Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Anderson graduated from the University of Warwick with a B.A. in film and literature. He continued his studies at Warwick to become the youngest student to earn an MBA at the university.

Anderson's first film was 1994's low-budget success Shopping, which he wrote and directed. Starring Sadie Frost and Jude Law (with an appearance by legendary singer Marianne Faithful), this dark film about joyriding and ram-raiding British youth was banned in some U.K. theaters but established Anderson's flare for high-impact action.

Shopping paved the way to Hollywood for Anderson, and 1995's Mortal Kombat became his first American No. 1 box-office smash. It was also the first successful film adaptation of a video game. The triumph of Mortal Kombat established Anderson as a filmmaker who could take a game off the television set and make it explode on the big screen as a successful film franchise.

Sidestepping offers to direct a sequel to Mortal Kombat, Anderson chose instead to turn his attention to science fiction. His next directorial projects included Soldier and Event Horizon. Blade Runner screenwriter David Peoples wrote Soldier as a "sidequel" to the bleakly powerful Blade Runner. Now considered a cult classic, Event Horizon starred Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Jason Isaacs and Joely Richardson.

Anderson returned to adapting games for the big screen with the survival horror film Resident Evil (2002), starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. Anderson wrote, directed and produced the feature. A resounding commercial success, the movie spawned
Anderson's second successful franchise. The series includes No. 1 hits Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). Anderson wrote the sequels and produced them along with his Impact Pictures partner, Jeremy Bolt.

Anderson confirmed his box-office power when he wrote and directed the highly anticipated AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004). This kicked off his third successful franchise, as the movie opened at No. 1 and went on to become the highest-grossing film in both the Alien and Predator series.

In 2008, Anderson's Death Race, starring Jason Statham and Joan Allen, rolled into theaters. The film was a remake of the 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000 starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. Anderson produced Death Race with Bolt through Impact Pictures.

In 2009, Anderson produced sci-fi horror film Pandorum, starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, through the Impact Pictures banner. Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth film in the highly successful franchise that has made $675 million worldwide, was released in 2010. It was filmed using the Vincent Pace 3-D system developed for James Cameron's Avatar.

It went on to become Anderson's first global number one, staying at the top of the International Box Office for a straight month and ultimately grossing 300 million worldwide.

Following this unprecedented peak with the ever-evolving Resident Evil franchise, Anderson diversified to direct and produce the stylish and action packed update of Alexandre Dumas classic The Three Musketeers for Constantin Film and Summit Entertainment. Filmed in 3D the film boasts an all-star cast including Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz and Logan Lerman with Luke Evans, Ray Stephenson and Matthew Macfadyen as the charismatic title characters.

© 2012 Screen Gems