Paul W. S. Anderson is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter primarily recognized for adapting video games into science-fiction movies. His notable credits include ‘Mortal Kombat,’ ‘Event Horizon,’ ‘Death Race,’ and the immensely successful ‘Resident Evil’ series, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Anderson debuted with the controversial 1994 British film ‘Shopping,’ which, despite criticism for violence, was selected for the Sundance Film Festival. His breakthrough came with his second film, ‘Mortal Kombat’ (1995). His other major works include ‘Alien vs. Predator,’ ‘The Three Musketeers,’ and ‘Pompeii.’ In 2016, he announced plans to direct a film adaptation of the ‘Monster Hunter’ video game series.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born in Wallsend, England, on March 4, 1965, Anderson was a gifted student, graduating from the University of Warwick with a focus on films and literature as its youngest student ever. His passion for filmmaking started at the age of nine.
He began his professional career as a writer for the British TV show ‘El C.I.D.’ (1990–1992) and co-founded ‘Impact Pictures’ in 1992. His directorial debut, the 1994 British film ‘Shopping,’ faced numerous obstacles. It struggled for funding and was initially barred from release by the British Board of Film Classification due to its violent content. Although critically panned for its violence, the film was a professional highlight for Anderson when it was selected for the Sundance Film Festival.
Hollywood Success and Video Game Adaptations
Anderson achieved his commercial breakthrough with his second feature, the 1995 video game adaptation ‘Mortal Kombat.’ Despite receiving poor reviews for its plot and dialogue, the movie was lauded for its visuals and fight choreography. Budgeted at under $20 million, it went on to gross over $122 million worldwide and held the top spot at the US box office for three weeks, proving that video game films could be successful after the failures of films like ‘Super Mario’ and ‘Street Fighter.’
His subsequent films, the sci-fi horror ‘Event Horizon’ (1997) and ‘Soldier’ (1998), were both box-office and critical disappointments.
Anderson successfully returned to the genre in 2002 with another video game adaptation, ‘Resident Evil,’ which starred his future wife, Milla Jovovich. This film grossed over $100 million and launched a globally successful franchise. The six-film ‘Resident Evil’ series was consistently a commercial success, culminating in ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ (2016), one of his biggest hits to date.
Other major commercial projects directed by Anderson include:
‘Alien vs. Predator’ (2004), a critical failure but commercial success.
‘Death Race’ (2008), a moderate hit remake.
Anderson also directed the historical action-adventure films ‘The Three Musketeers’ (2011) and ‘Pompeii’ (2014), which met with mixed commercial success and generally negative critical reception. His other works include episodes of the web series ‘Origin.’
Personal Life of Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul W. S. Anderson is married to actress Milla Jovovich, whom he met in 2002 while filming the first ‘Resident Evil’ movie. They married in 2009 and have two daughters: Ever Gabo (born 2007) and Dashiel Edan (born 2015). He is currently working on the film adaptation of the video game ‘Monster Hunter.’
Net worth of Paul W. S. Anderson
The estimated net worth of Paul W. S. Anderson is about $3 million.