Ridley Scott
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Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the science fiction, crime, and historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style.<ref name="commercials"/><ref name="Britannica">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Visual style">Template:Cite news</ref> He ranks among the highest-grossing directors, with his films grossing a cumulative $5 billion worldwide. He has received many accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.<ref name="BAFTA Felowship">Template:Cite news</ref> He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003,<ref name="knighted">Template:Cite news</ref> and appointed a Knight Grand Cross by King Charles III in 2024.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
An alumnus of the Royal College of Art in London, Scott began his career in television as a designer and director before moving into advertising as a director of commercials. He made his film directorial debut with The Duellists (1977) and gained wider recognition with his next film, Alien (1979). Though his films range widely in setting and period, they showcase memorable imagery of urban environments, spanning 2nd-century Rome in Gladiator (2000) and its 2024 sequel, 12th-century Jerusalem in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), medieval England in Robin Hood (2010), ancient Memphis in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), contemporary Mogadishu in Black Hawk Down (2001), futuristic cityscapes of Los Angeles in Blade Runner (1982) and extraterrestrial worlds in Alien, Prometheus (2012), The Martian (2015) and Alien: Covenant (2017).
Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.<ref name="Britannica"/> Gladiator won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and he received a nomination in the same category for The Martian. In 1995, both Scott and his brother Tony received a British Academy Film Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.<ref name="Outstanding contribution">Template:Cite news</ref> Scott's films Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise were each selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In a 2004 BBC poll, Scott was ranked 10 on the list of most influential people in British culture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Scott also works in television, and has earned 10 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He won twice, for Outstanding Television Film for the HBO film The Gathering Storm (2002) and for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for the History Channel's Gettysburg (2011).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was Emmy-nominated for RKO 281 (1999), The Andromeda Strain (2008), and The Pillars of the Earth (2010).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Early life and education
[edit]Scott was born on 30 November 1937 in South Shields, to Francis ("Frank") Percy Scott, a partner in a commercial shipping business based in Newcastle who would serve as a Colonel in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War, and Elizabeth, née Williams, a miner's daughter.<ref name="Ridley Scott 2019, p. 1">Ridley Scott: A Biography, Vincent LoBrutto, University Press of Kentucky, 2019, p. 1</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His grand-uncle Dixon Scott was a pioneer of the cinema chain and opened many cinemas around Tyneside. One of his cinemas, Tyneside Cinema, is still operating in Newcastle and is the last remaining newsreel cinema in the UK.<ref name=ridleyScottTyne>Template:Cite news</ref>
Born two years before the Second World War began, Scott was brought up in a military family. His father, as a senior officer in the Royal Engineers, was absent for most of his early life. His elder brother, Frank, joined the Merchant Navy when he was still young and the pair had little contact.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During this time the family moved around; they lived in Cumberland as well as other areas in England, in addition to Wales and Germany, where Colonel Scott was part of the post-war Allied Control Council.<ref name="Ridley Scott 2019, p. 1"/> After the war, the Scott family moved back to County Durham and eventually settled on Teesside.Template:Cn
His interest in science fiction began by reading the novels of H. G. Wells as a child.<ref name="Sci-fi">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He was also influenced by science-fiction films such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Them! He said these films "kind of got [him] going a little" but his attention was not fully caught until he saw Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, about which he said, "Once I saw that, I knew what I could do."<ref name="Sci-fi"/> He went to Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton on Tees and obtained a diploma in design at West Hartlepool College of Art.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The industrial landscape in West Hartlepool would later inspire visuals in Blade Runner, with Scott stating, "There were steelworks adjacent to West Hartlepool, so every day I'd be going through them, and thinking they're kind of magnificent, beautiful, winter or summer, and the darker and more ominous it got, the more interesting it got."<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Scott went on to study at the Royal College of Art in London, contributing to the college magazine ARK and helping to establish the college film department. For his final show, he made a black and white short film, Boy and Bicycle, starring both his younger brother and his father (the film was later released on the "Extras" section of The Duellists DVD). In February 1963, Scott was named in the title credits as "Designer" for the BBC television programme Tonight.
After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police series Z-Cars and science fiction series Out of the Unknown. He was originally assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the serial's eponymous alien creatures. Shortly before he was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant he was replaced by Raymond Cusick.<ref name="scott">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1965, he began directing episodes of television series for the BBC, only one of which, an episode of Adam Adamant Lives!, is available commercially.<ref>"Adam Adamant Lives!" Template:Webarchive. BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2016</ref>
In 1968, Ridley and his younger brother Tony Scott – who would also go on to become a film director<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company.<ref>Template:Cite journalTemplate:Dead link</ref> Working alongside Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson and cinematographer Hugh Johnson, Ridley Scott made many commercials at RSA during the 1970s, including a 1973 Hovis bread advertisement, "Bike Round" (underscored by the slow movement of Dvořák's "New World" symphony rearranged for brass), filmed in Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset.<ref name="commercials">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A nostalgia themed television advert that captured the public imagination, it was voted the UK's favourite commercial in a 2006 poll.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 1970s the Chanel No. 5 brand needed revitalisation having run the risk of being labelled as mass market and passé.<ref name="Chanel"/> Directed by Scott in the 1970s and 1980s, Chanel television commercials were inventive mini-films with production values of surreal fantasy and seduction, which "played on the same visual imagery, with the same silhouette of the bottle."<ref name="Chanel">Template:Cite book</ref>
Five members of the Scott family are directors, and all have worked for RSA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His brother Tony was a successful film director whose career spanned more than two decades; his sons Jake and Luke are both acclaimed directors of commercials, as is his daughter, Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles; Luke is based in London. In 1995, Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renovated the studios while also expanding and improving its grounds.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
[edit]1970s: The Duellists, Alien
[edit]The Duellists (1977) marked Ridley Scott's first feature film as director. Shot in continental Europe, it was nominated for the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and won an award for Best Debut Film. The Duellists had limited commercial impact internationally. Based on Joseph Conrad's short story "The Duel" and set during the Napoleonic Wars, it follows two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud (Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel) whose quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter extended feud spanning fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. The film has been acclaimed for providing a historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct.<ref>Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, Nancy Kang (2013). "The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott". Chapter 10. Celebrating Historical Accuracy in The Duellists. p.171-178. Lexington Books</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2013 release of the film on Blu-ray coincided with the publication of an essay on the film in a collection of scholarly essays on Scott.<ref>"A Double-Edged Sword: Honor in The Duellists Template:Webarchive", in The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott, eds. Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, and Jim McRae (Lexington Books, 2013), 45–60.</ref>
Scott had originally planned next to adapt a version of Tristan and Iseult, but after seeing Star Wars, he became convinced of the potential of large scale, effects-driven films. He accepted the job of directing Alien, the 1979 horror/science-fiction film that would win him international success. Scott made the decision to switch Ellen Ripley from the standard male action hero to a heroine.<ref name="Female icon">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), who appeared in the first four Alien films, would become a cinematic icon.<ref name="Female icon"/> The final scene of John Hurt's character has been named by a number of publications as one of the most memorable in cinematic history.<ref name="memorable">Sources that refer to the final scene of Hurt's character in Alien as one of the most memorable in cinematic history include these:
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- Template:Cite news</ref> Filmed at Shepperton Studios in England, Alien was the sixth highest-grossing film of 1979, earning over $104 million worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Scott was involved in the 2003 restoration and re-release of the original film. In promotional interviews at the time, Scott indicated he had been in discussions to make a fifth film in the Alien franchise. However, in a 2006 interview, Scott remarked that he had been unhappy about Alien: The Director's Cut, feeling that the original was "pretty flawless" and that the additions were merely a marketing tool.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Scott later returned to Alien-related projects when he directed Prometheus and Alien: Covenant three decades after the original film's release.<ref name="Alien prequel"/>
1980s: Blade Runner and other films
[edit]Template:Quote box After a year working on the film adaptation of Dune, and following the sudden death of his brother Frank, Scott signed to direct the film version of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Re-titled Blade Runner and starring Harrison Ford, the film was a commercial disappointment in cinemas in 1982, and was criticised by Pauline Kael in the New Yorker who wrote "...Scott doesn't seem to have a grasp of how to use words as part of the way a movie moves. "Blade Runner" is a suspenseless thriller; it appears to be a victim of its own imaginative use of hardware and miniatures and mattes. At some point, Scott and the others must have decided that the story was unimportant; maybe the booming, lewd and sultry score by Chariots-for-Hire Vangelis that seems to come out of the smoke convinced them that the audience would be moved even if vital parts of the story were trimmed."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In response to the review, Scott said: "...It was four pages of destruction. I never met her. I was so offended. I framed those pages and they've been in my office for 30 years to remind me there's only one critic that counts and that's you. I haven't read critiques ever since. Because if it's a good one, you can get a swollen head and forget yourself. And if it's a bad one, you're so depressed that it's debilitating."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The movie is now widely regarded as a classic.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1991, Scott's notes were used by Warner Bros. to create a rushed director's cut which removed the main character's voiceover and made a number of other small changes, including to the ending. Later Scott personally supervised a digital restoration of Blade Runner and approved what was called The Final Cut. This version was released in Los Angeles, New York City and Toronto cinemas on 5 October 2007, and as an elaborate DVD release in December 2007.<ref name="bladerunner2007">"Blade Runner Final Cut Due", SciFi Wire, 26 May 2006 Template:Webarchive</ref>
Today, Blade Runner is ranked by many critics as one of the most important and influential science fiction films ever made,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> partly thanks to its much imitated portraits of a future cityscape.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It is often discussed along with William Gibson's novel Neuromancer as initiating the cyberpunk genre. Stephen Minger, stem cell biologist at King's College London, states, "It was so far ahead of its time and the whole premise of the story – what is it to be human and who are we, where we come from? It's the age-old questions."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Scott has described Blade Runner as his "most complete and personal film".<ref name="scottobserver">Template:Cite journal</ref>
In 1985, Scott directed Legend, a fantasy film produced by Arnon Milchan. Scott decided to create a "once upon a time" tale set in a world of princesses, unicorns and goblins, filming almost entirely inside the studio. Scott cast Tom Cruise as the film's hero, Jack; Mia Sara as Princess Lili; and Tim Curry as the Satan-horned Lord of Darkness.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Scott had a forest set built on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, with trees 60 feet high and trunks 30 feet in diameter.<ref>Pirani, Adam (December 1985). "Ridley Scott: SF's Visual Magician". Starlog. p. 64.</ref> In the final stages of filming, the forest set was destroyed by fire; Jerry Goldsmith's original score was used for European release, but replaced in North America with a score by Tangerine Dream. Rob Bottin provided the film's Academy Award-nominated make-up effects, most notably Curry's red-coloured Satan figure. Despite a major commercial failure on release, the film has gone on to become a cult classic. The 2002 Director's Cut restored Goldsmith's original score.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Scott made Someone to Watch Over Me, a romantic thriller starring Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers in 1987, and Black Rain (1989), a police drama starring Michael Douglas and Andy García, shot partially in Japan. The latter was very well received at the box office. Black Rain was the first of Scott's six collaborations with the composer Hans Zimmer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1984 Apple Macintosh commercial
[edit]Template:Main In 1984, Scott directed a big-budget ($900,000) television commercial, "1984", to launch Apple Computer's Macintosh computer.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Scott filmed the advertisement in England for about $370,000;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which was given a showcase airing in the US on 22 January 1984, during Super Bowl XVIII, alongside screenings in cinemas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some consider this advertisement a "watershed event" in advertising<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a "masterpiece".<ref name=masterpiece>Template:Cite news</ref> Advertising Age placed it top of its list of the 50 greatest commercials.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Set in a dystopian future modelled after George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Scott's advertisement used its hero (portrayed by English athlete Anya Major) to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white tank top adorned with a picture of the Apple Macintosh computer) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother), an allusion to IBM, at that time the dominant force in computing.<ref name=cellini>Template:Cite web</ref>
1990s
[edit]The road film Thelma & Louise (1991) starring Geena Davis as Thelma, Susan Sarandon as Louise, in addition to the breakthrough role for Brad Pitt as J.D, proved to be one of Scott's biggest critical successes, helping revive the director's reputation and receiving his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His next project, independently funded historical epic 1492: Conquest of Paradise, was a box office failure. The film recounts the expeditions to the Americas by Christopher Columbus (French star Gérard Depardieu). Scott did not release another film for four years.
In 1995, Ridley and his brother Tony formed a production company, Scott Free Productions, in Los Angeles. All Ridley's subsequent feature films, starting with White Squall (starring Jeff Bridges) and G.I. Jane (starring Demi Moore), have been produced under the Scott Free banner. In 1995 the two brothers purchased a controlling interest in the British film studio Shepperton Studios. In 2001, Shepperton merged with Pinewood Studios to become The Pinewood Studios Group, which is headquartered in Buckinghamshire, England.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2000s
[edit]Scott's historical drama Gladiator (2000) proved to be one of his biggest critical and commercial successes. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for the film's star Russell Crowe, and saw Scott nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director.<ref name="Britannica"/> Scott worked with British visual effects company The Mill for the film's computer-generated imagery, and the film was dedicated to Oliver Reed who died during filming – The Mill created a digital body double for Reed's remaining scenes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some have credited Gladiator with reviving the nearly defunct "sword and sandal" historical genre. The film was named the fifth best action film of all time in the ABC special Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Scott directed Hannibal (2001) starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. The film was commercially successful despite receiving mixed reviews. Scott's next film, Black Hawk Down (2001), featuring Tom Hardy in his film debut, was based on a group of stranded US soldiers fighting for their lives in Somalia; Scott was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.<ref name="Britannica"/> In 2003, Scott directed a smaller scale project, Matchstick Men, adapted from the novel by Eric Garcia and starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman. It received mostly positive reviews but performed moderately at the box office.
In 2005, he made the modestly successful Kingdom of Heaven, a film about the Crusades. The film starred Orlando Bloom, and marked Scott's first collaboration with the composer Harry Gregson-Williams.<ref name="HG Williams">Template:Cite web</ref> The Moroccan government sent the Moroccan cavalry as extras for some battle scenes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Unhappy with the theatrical version of Kingdom of Heaven (which he blamed on paying too much attention to the opinions of preview audiences in addition to relenting when Fox wanted 45 minutes shaved off), Scott supervised a director's cut of the film, the true version of what he wanted, which was released on DVD in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven has been met with critical acclaim, with Empire magazine calling the film an "epic", adding: "The added 45 minutes in the director's cut are like pieces missing from a beautiful but incomplete puzzle."<ref name="Kingdom">Template:Cite magazine</ref> "This is the one that should have gone out" reflected Scott.<ref name="Kingdom"/> Asked if he was against previewing in general in 2006, Scott stated: "It depends who's in the driving seat. If you've got a lunatic doing my job, then you need to preview. But a good director should be experienced enough to judge what he thinks is the correct version to go out into the cinema."<ref name="totalfilm">Total Film magazine, July 2006: 'Three hours, eight minutes. It's beautiful.' (Interview to promote Kingdom of Heaven: The Director's Cut)</ref>
Scott teamed up again with Gladiator star Russell Crowe for A Good Year, based on the best-selling book by Peter Mayle about an investment banker who finds a new life in Provence. The film was released on 10 November 2006. A few days later Rupert Murdoch, chairman of studio 20th Century Fox (who backed the film) dismissed A Good Year as "a flop" at a shareholders' meeting.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Scott's next film was American Gangster, based on the story of real-life drug kingpin Frank Lucas. Scott took over the project in early 2006 and had screenwriter Steven Zaillian rewrite his script to focus on the dynamic between Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. Denzel Washington signed on to the project as Lucas, with Russell Crowe co-starring as Roberts. The film premiered in November 2007 to positive reviews and box office success, and Scott was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Director.<ref name="Britannica"/>
In late 2008, Scott's espionage thriller Body of Lies, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, opened to lukewarm ticket-sales and mixed reviews. Scott directed a revisionist adaptation of Robin Hood, which starred Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian. It was released in May 2010 to mixed reviews, but a respectable box-office.
On 31 July 2009, news surfaced of a two-part prequel to Alien with Scott attached to direct.<ref name="Alien prequel">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The project, ultimately reduced to a single film called Prometheus, which Scott described as sharing "strands of Alien's DNA" while not being a direct prequel, was released in June 2012. The film starred Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender, with Noomi Rapace playing the leading role of the scientist named Elizabeth Shaw. The film received mostly positive reviews and grossed $403 million at the box office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In August 2009, Scott planned to direct an adaptation of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World set in a dystopian London with Leonardo DiCaprio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2009, the TV series The Good Wife premiered with Ridley and his brother Tony credited as executive producers.
2010s
[edit]On 6 July 2010, YouTube announced the launch of Life in a Day, an experimental documentary executive produced by Scott. Released at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2011, it incorporates footage shot on 24 July 2010 submitted by YouTube users from around the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As part of the buildup to the 2012 London Olympics, Scott produced Britain in a Day, a documentary film consisting of footage shot by the British public on 12 November 2011.<ref>"London 2012 Britain in a Day project launched" Template:Webarchive. BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2015</ref>
In 2012, Scott produced the commercial for Lady Gaga's fragrance, "Fame". It was touted as the first ever black Eau de Parfum, in the informal credits attached to the trailer for this advertisement. On 24 June 2013, Scott's series Crimes of the Century debuted on CNN.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In November 2012 it was announced that Scott would produce the documentary, Springsteen & I directed by Baillie Walsh and inspired by Life in a Day, which Scott also produced. The film featured fan footage from throughout the world on what musician Bruce Springsteen meant to them and how he impacted their lives.<ref name="Springsteen">Template:Cite news</ref> The film was released for one day only in 50 countries and on over 2000 film screens on 22 July 2013.<ref name="Springsteen"/>
Scott directed The Counselor (2013), with a screenplay by author Cormac McCarthy.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="FirstImage">Template:Cite web</ref> On 25 October 2013, Indiewire reported that "Before McCarthy sold his first spec script for Scott's (The Counselor) film, the director was heavily involved in developing an adaptation of the author's 1985 novel Blood Meridian with screenwriter Bill Monahan (The Departed). But as Scott said in a Time Out interview, '[Studios] didn't want to make it. The book is so uncompromising, which is what's great about it.' Described as an 'anti-western'..."<ref>Indiewire, 25 October 2013.</ref> Scott directed the biblically inspired epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings, released in December 2014 which received negative reviews from critics (particularly for the casting of white actors as Middle Eastern characters) and grossed $268 million worldwide on a $140 million budget, making it a financial disappointment. Filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the film starred Christian Bale in the lead role.<ref name="Houses"/>
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In May 2014, Scott began negotiations to direct The Martian, starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney.<ref name=holl>Template:Cite web</ref> Like many of Scott's previous works, The Martian features a heroine in the form of Jessica Chastain's character who is the mission commander.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was originally scheduled for release on 25 November 2015, but Fox later switched its release date with that of Victor Frankenstein, and thus The Martian was released on 2 October 2015.<ref name=firstshow>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Martian was a critical and commercial success, grossed over $630 million worldwide, becoming Scott's highest-grossing film to date.<ref name="Box office">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
A sequel to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, started filming in 2016, premiered in London on 4 May 2017, and received general release on 19 May 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Michael Fassbender's dual performance and calling the film a return to form for both director Ridley Scott and the franchise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In August 2011, information leaked about production of a sequel to Blade Runner by Alcon Entertainment, with Alcon partners Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Scott informed the Variety publication in November 2014 that he was no longer the director for the film and would only fulfill a producer's role. Scott also revealed that filming would begin sometime within 2015, and that Harrison Ford has signed on to reprise his role from the original film but his character should only appear in "the third act" of the sequel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 26 February 2015, the sequel was officially confirmed, with Denis Villeneuve hired to direct the film, and Scott being an executive producer.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The sequel, Blade Runner 2049, was released on 6 October 2017 to universal acclaim.<ref name="oculus">Template:Cite web</ref>
From May to August 2017, Scott filmed All the Money in the World, a drama about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, starring Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kevin Spacey originally portrayed Getty Sr. However, after multiple sexual assault allegations against the actor, Scott decided to replace him with Christopher Plummer, saying "You can't condone that kind of behaviour in any shape or form. We cannot let one person's action affect the good work of all these other people. It's that simple."<ref name="Spacey"/> Scott began re-shooting Spacey's scenes with Plummer on 20 November, which included filming at Elveden Hall in west Suffolk, England.<ref name="Spacey"/> With a release date of 25 December 2017, the film studio had its doubts that Scott would manage it, saying: "They were like, 'You'll never do it. God be with you.'"<ref name="Spacey">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020s
[edit]In 2020, Scott directed The Last Duel, a film adaptation of Eric Jager's 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France, starring Adam Driver, Matt Damon and Jodie Comer which was released on 15 October 2021<ref>Multiple sources:
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- Template:Cite web</ref> to positive reviews but it bombed at the box office, grossing only $30.6 million against a production budget of $100 million.<ref>Multiple sources:
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- Template:Cite The Numbers</ref> Filming locations included the French medieval castle of Berzé-le-Châtel (with a film crew of 300 people including 100 extras),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Ireland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He directed House of Gucci, a film about the murder of Maurizio Gucci orchestrated by Patrizia Reggiani, who were portrayed by Adam Driver and Lady Gaga, respectively. Scott had originally been set to direct the film in 2006, but the project languished in development hell for several years, with different directors entering talks to sign on, before he returned to the project in November 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was released on 24 November 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Scott next directed Napoleon, a biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte starring Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine, the first wife of Napoleon.<ref name="Rothkopf">Template:Cite news</ref> Filming began in February 2022; the film was released on 22 November 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing before streaming on Apple TV+ on 1 March 2024.<ref>Multiple sources:
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- Template:Cite web</ref> Scott's next film was Gladiator II, a sequel to Gladiator, starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film, which began production in June 2023 but had been discussed since early 2001, was released on 22 November 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Upcoming projects
[edit]In February 2024, it was announced that Scott will direct Paramount Pictures' Bee Gees biopic titled You Should Be Dancing, written by John Logan and Joe Penhall. The film is scheduled to begin principal photography in October 2025 in London and Miami.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gladiator3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In November that year, Scott was announced to be directing The Dog Stars, based on the Peter Heller novel that will star Jacob Elordi, with principal photography set to begin in April 2025, in Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
While promoting Gladiator II, in a September 2024 interview for French network La Premiere, Scott revealed that he was planning a Gladiator III, comparing the ending of II to The Godfather, "with Michael Corleone ending up with a job he didn't want [...] So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn't want to be where he is."<ref name="Gladiator3"/>
Television projects
[edit]In 2002, Ridley Scott and his brother Tony were among the executive producers of The Gathering Storm, a television biographical film of Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II. A BBC–HBO co-production, it received acclaim, with Mark Lawson of The Guardian ranking it as the most memorable television portrayal of Churchill.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The brothers produced the CBS series Numb3rs (2005–10), a crime drama about a genius mathematician who helps the FBI solve crimes; and The Good Wife (2009–2016), a legal drama about an attorney balancing her job with her husband, a former state attorney trying to rebuild his political career after a major scandal. The two Scotts also produced a 2010 film adaptation of 1980s television show The A-Team, directed by Joe Carnahan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Ridley Scott was an executive producer of the first season of Amazon's The Man in the High Castle (2015–16).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Through Scott Free Productions, he is an executive producer on the dark comic science-fiction series BrainDead which debuted on CBS in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 20 November 2017, Amazon agreed a deal with AMC Studios for a worldwide release of The Terror, Scott's series adaptation of Dan Simmons' novel, a speculative retelling of British explorer Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to the Arctic in 1845–1848 to force the Northwest Passage, with elements of horror and supernatural fiction, and the series premiered in March 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Scott was an executive producer for the 2019 BBC/FX three-part miniseries A Christmas Carol, developed by Steven Knight, alongside Tom Hardy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Scott's first television directing role in 50 years, Raised by Wolves, was released on HBO Max in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Scott said his "tendency was to think, 'I don't want to go down that road of androids again'", but decided to take on the project after he read the script and liked it.<ref name=":0" /> The show revolves around androids Mother and Father, who attempt to save humankind on planet Kepler-22b after earth is demolished by war between the Mithraic, who follow a god called Sol, and militant atheists.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In August 2022, it was announced Scott would executive produce the Apple TV+ series Dope Thief, written by Peter Craig and starring Brian Tyree Henry, and would also direct an episode.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
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Scott was married to Felicity Heywood from 1964 to 1975. The couple had two sons, Jake and Luke,<ref>"A Reel Life: Jordan Scott" Template:Webarchive (19 November 2009). Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 December 2020.</ref> both of whom work as directors in Scott's production company, Ridley Scott Associates. Scott later married advertising executive Sandy Watson in 1979, with whom he had a daughter, Jordan Scott, also a director, and divorced in 1989.<ref>"Ridley Scott: Interviews". p. xviii. University Press of Mississippi, 2005</ref> In 2015 he married actress Giannina Facio,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> whom he has cast in all his films since White Squall except American Gangster and The Martian.<ref>"Sir Ridley Scott: Hollywood visionary" Template:Webarchive. BBC. Retrieved 8 December 2012.</ref> He divides his time between homes in London, France, and Los Angeles.<ref name="Houses">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
His eldest brother Frank died, aged 45, of skin cancer in 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His younger brother Tony, who was also his business partner in their company Scott Free, died on 19 August 2012 at the age of 68 after jumping from the Vincent Thomas Bridge which spans Los Angeles Harbor, after an originally disputed long struggle with cancer.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Before Tony's death, he and Ridley collaborated on a miniseries based on Robin Cook's novel Coma for A&E. The two-part miniseries premiered on A&E on 3 September 2012, to mixed reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Scott has dedicated several of his films in memory of his family: Blade Runner to his brother Frank, Black Hawk Down to his mother, and The Counselor and Exodus: Gods and Kings to his brother Tony.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ridley also paid tribute to his late brother Tony at the 2016 Golden Globes, after his film, The Martian, won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2013, Scott stated that he is an atheist.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although when asked by the BBC in a September 2014 interview if he believes in God, Scott replied:
Directorial style
[edit]Scott's frequent collaborator Russell Crowe commented, "I like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform [...] and the focus is on the performers."<ref name="gangster">American Gangster DVD, Fallen Empire: The Making of American Gangster documentary</ref> Paul M. Sammon, in his book Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, commented in an interview with Brmovie.com that Scott's relationship with his actors has improved considerably over the years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More recently during the filming of Scott's 2012 film, Prometheus, Charlize Theron praised the director's willingness to listen to suggestions from the cast for improvements in the way their characters are portrayed on screen. Theron worked alongside the writers and Scott to give more depth to her character during filming.<ref name="Prometheus_Theron">Template:Cite news</ref> When working on epics, Scott states, "there's always the danger that the characters can get swamped" on a large canvas, before adding, "My model is David Lean, whose characters never got lost in the proscenium."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Scott's work is identified for its striking visuals, with heroines also a common theme.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Female heroes"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Los Angeles Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf wrote "Scott may be the movies' most consistent stealth feminist".<ref name="Rothkopf"/> His visual style, incorporating a detailed approach to production design and innovative, atmospheric lighting, has been influential on a subsequent generation of filmmakers.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Visual style"/> James Cameron commented, "I love Ridley's films and I love his filmmaking, I love the beauty of the photography, I love the visceral sense that you're there, that you're present."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Scott commonly uses slow pacing until the action sequences. Examples include Alien and Blade Runner; the Los Angeles Times critic Sheila Benson, for example, would call the latter "Blade Crawler" "because it's so damn slow". Scott claims to have an eidetic memory, which he says aids him in visualising and storyboarding the scenes in his films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Scott has developed a method for filming intricate shots as swiftly as possible: "I like working, always, with a minimum of three cameras. [...] So those 50 set-ups [a day] might only be 25 set-ups except I'm covering in the set-up. So you're finished. I mean, if you take a little bit more time to prep on three cameras, or if it's a big stunt, eleven cameras, and – whilst it may take 45 minutes to set up – then when you're ready you say 'Action!', and you do three takes, two takes and is everybody happy? You say, 'Yeah, that's it.' So you move on."<ref name="gangster"/>
Artificial intelligence is a theme that appears in several of Scott's films, including Blade Runner, Alien, and Prometheus.<ref>The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott, p. 121-142, Lexington Books, 2013.</ref> The 2013 book The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott identifies pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing and the philosopher John Searle as presenting relevant models of testing artificial intelligence known as the Turing test and the Chinese Room Thought Experiment, respectively, in the chapter titled "What's Wrong with Building Replicants", which has been a recurring theme for many of Scott's films.<ref>The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott, p. 136-142, Lexington Books, 2013.</ref> The chapter titled "Artificial Intelligence in Blade Runner, Alien, and Prometheus," concludes by citing the writings of John Stuart Mill in the context of Scott's Nexus-6 Replicants in Blade Runner (Rutger Hauer), the android Ash (Ian Holm) in Alien, and the android David 8 (Michael Fassbender) in Prometheus, where Mill is applied to assert that measures and tests of intelligence must also assess actions and moral behaviour in androids to effectively address the themes which Scott explores in these films.<ref>The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott, p. 140-142, Lexington Books, 2013.</ref>
DVD format and director's cut
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Scott provides audio commentaries and interviews for all his films where possible. In the July 2006 issue of Total Film magazine, he stated: "After all the work we go through, to have it run in the cinema and then disappear forever is a great pity. To give the film added life is really cool for both those who missed it and those who really loved it."<ref name="totalfilm"/>
The positive reaction to the Blade Runner Director's Cut encouraged Scott to re-cut several movies that were a disappointment at the time of their release (including Legend and Kingdom of Heaven), which have been met with acclaim.<ref name="Kingdom"/> Today the practice of alternative cuts is more commonplace, though often as a way to make a film stand out in the DVD marketplace by adding new material.
Filmography
[edit]Honours, awards and legacy
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Scott was knighted in the 2003 New Year Honours "for services to the British film industry".<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He received his accolade from Queen Elizabeth II at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 8 July 2003.<ref name="knighted"/> Scott admitted feeling "stunned and truly humbled" after the ceremony, saying, "As a boy growing up in South Shields, I could never have imagined that I would receive such a special recognition. I am truly humbled to receive this treasured award and believe it also further recognises the excellence of the British film industry."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 2024 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) by King Charles III also "for services to the UK film industry".<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing—Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down—as well as three British Academy Film Awards for Best Director, four Golden Globe Awards for Best Director, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 1995, Ridley and his brother Tony received the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema.<ref name="Outstanding contribution"/> In 2018 he received the highest accolade from BAFTA, the BAFTA Fellowship, for lifetime achievement.<ref name="BAFTA Felowship"/><ref name="Outstanding contribution"/>
Scott was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2007.<ref name=hof2007>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore. Press release March/April/May 2007. Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (empsfm.org). Archived 14 October 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2013</ref> In 2017 the German newspaper FAZ compared Scott's influence on the science fiction film genre to Sir Alfred Hitchcock's on thrillers and John Ford's on Westerns.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2011, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref>"Hollywood stars for Simon Fuller and Sir Ridley Scott" Template:Webarchive. BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2010.</ref>
Scott has received three Hugo Awards in the category of Best Dramatic Presentation for Alien, Blade Runner and The Martian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, Scott was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admires to mark his 80th birthday.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 3 July 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Royal College of Art in a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London at which he described how he still keeps on his office wall his school report placing him 31st out of 31 in his class, and how his teacher encouraged him to pursue what became his passion at art school.<ref name="RCA">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1977 | The Duellists | 2 | |||||
| 1979 | Alien | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1982 | Blade Runner | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 1985 | Legend | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 1989 | Black Rain | 2 | |||||
| 1991 | Thelma & Louise | 6 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1492: Conquest of Paradise | 1 | |||||
| 2000 | Gladiator | 12 | 5 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 2001 | Black Hawk Down | 4 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2007 | American Gangster | 2 | 5 | 3 | |||
| 2012 | Prometheus | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2015 | The Martian | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2017 | All the Money in the World | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2021 | House of Gucci | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2023 | Napoleon | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 2024 | Gladiator II | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||
| Total | 45 | 9 | 68 | 9 | 25 | 5 | |
Directed Academy Award performances
Under Scott's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations (and wins) for their performances in their respective roles.
Belgian bike manufacturing company Ridley Bikes is named in honour of Scott.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
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- Ridley Scott's unrealised projects
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain
References
[edit]External links
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- Ridley Scott Associates (RSA)
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