Renny Harlin
Encyclopedia
Renny Harlin is a Finnish-American film director
and producer
. He is best known for Die Hard 2
(1990), Cliffhanger
(1993), The Long Kiss Goodnight
(1996) and Deep Blue Sea
(1999). His film Cutthroat Island
(1995) is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of all time.
, Finland
to a nurse mother and a physician
father. His mother often took him to see films at the cinema as a child, particularly those of Alfred Hitchcock
, and he became enamored with the movies often citing Sam Peckinpah
’s The Wild Bunch
(1969
) as one of his favourites. Harlin had a video camera from a very early age and made his first short at the age of 12. At the age of 14 he decided to became a film director after he saw Don Siegel
and Charles Bronson
in Helsinki
for the filming of Telefon (1977
).
In 1980, Harlin was working as a commercial director for companies such as Shell Oil while he wrote and directed the 6-minute short Huostaanotto (a.k.a. Custody International) which received its belated premier on Finnish television on 4 November 1979. The following year, 1981
, he was assistant cameraman on Läpimurto (a.k.a. The Breakthrough), directed by Janne Kuusi
, and made a cameo appearance as a police officer
. That same year he was also cinematographer
on two short films; Posliinikissa directed by Kari Paljakka, and Jos minä olisin aikuinen directed by Per-Olof Strandberg. He then made the documentary short Hold On which won the Best Short Subject Award at the 1982
national film board awards hosted by YLE.
Harlin started working as a buyer for a Finnish film-distribution company and while on a business trip to L.A. he met up with aspiring film writer/producer Markus Selin
. The two Finns would become long-term friends and collaborators. They quickly set to work on the script for their first film Born American
(a.k.a. Arctic Heat). This was a feature length action movie about three Americans vacationing in Finland who cross the border into the Soviet Union
. It was originally supposed to star Chuck Norris
but he backed out when filming was delayed by funding problems and his son, Mike Norris
, landed the lead instead. A Finnish production, this was at that the time the most expensive film ever to have been made in Finland but it was initially banned in Finland for a very short while as the film encouraged violence and hatred towards Russians. The international success of the film allowed Harlin to get his foot in the door in Hollywood
.
where he was initially put to work directing low-budget horror movies, but commercial success was soon to follow. In 1988
, Irwin Yablans
of Empire Pictures hired him to direct Viggo Mortensen
, Chelsea Field and Lane Smith
in the low-budget horror film Prison filmed at a former state prison in Rawlins, Wyoming
. That same year Robert Shaye
of New Line Cinema
, after some initial doubts, hired him to direct another low-budget horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
, which became the highest grossing independent film at that time by earning $49 million in the US. Harlin cameos in the film as a student while a publicity poster for Prison can be seen in the background of a scene in a movie theatre.
Following this success 20th Century Fox
approached Harlin with science fiction
/horror
sequel Alien 3. After working on the trouble-prone project for a year, he left in 1990
claiming not to be satisfied with any of the multiple scripts that had been drafted and stating that he wanted to do something completely different. The next day the studio offered him rock-and-roll comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
starring stand-up comic Andrew Dice Clay
. Studio executives were so impressed by the dailies
on this film that they offered Harlin action sequel Die Hard 2
starring Bruce Willis
, which he set to work on immediately. The two films were edited simultaneously and were released just a week apart after being shipped to the theaters as "wet prints". The former flopped but the latter was another commercial success for the director. He achieved critical acclaim the following year, 1991
, when he produced Rambling Rose
, through his own recently formed Midnight Sun Pictures, for director Martha Coolidge
which won him the Best Feature award at the 1992
Independent Spirit Awards
and got his star and then partner Laura Dern
a Best Actress Oscar
nomination at the 1992 Academy Awards
.
1993 was a big year for Harlin. Mario Kassar
of Carolco Pictures
, who had worked with him on Rambling Rose, offered him Gale Force a film about hurricanes with Sylvester Stallone
attached to star. Harlin initially turned down the offer due to the script's similarities to Die Hard 2 but Kassar kept offering a bigger salary, changing the pay scale of Hollywood directors, until Harlin accepted. The film's projected cost spiraled and eventually the plug was pulled, but the project went on to evolve into Cliffhanger. This film was another commercial success and is credited with reviving Stallone’s flagging career. The actor became good friends with Harlin. This same year Harlin married American actress Geena Davis
and also found time to return to his homeland to write and direct the TV series Gladiaattorit
(the Finnish version of American Gladiators
) with old friend and collaborator Markus Selin
.
for director Ron Underwood
which got star Davis a 1995
Golden Globe nomination.
In 1995, Harlin set to work on a pirate movie called Cutthroat Island
with Michael Douglas
attached to star. Harlin convinced producer Mario Kassar
that, despite being known for light-weight comedy roles, Davis was perfect for the female love interest in this action blockbuster. After Kassar agreed Harlin set about beefing up Davis’ role until Douglas left the production giving her the lead. The $92 million production, in which Harlin cameos as a pirate, went on to be a major critical and commercial failure entering the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest loss of money for a studio ever. That studio, Carolco Pictures
, went bankrupt as a result. Undeterred Harlin returned to New Line Cinema
in 1996
for his next production and action/thriller called The Long Kiss Goodnight
starring Davis and Samuel L. Jackson
. This was another commercial failure that effectively ended Davis' movie career. The couple went on to executive produce the HBO TV movie Mistrial but the marriage was virtually over.
Harlin and Davis were divorced in 1998. That same year, looking for a summer blockbuster for 1999, Warner Bros.
re-teamed Harlin with Jackson for the shark movie Deep Blue Sea
. The film, in which Harlin cameos, was mistakenly thought to be a comedy by some and was not the box office hit the studio had wanted. It did, however, make a respectable $73 million domestically and $164 million worldwide. Harlin went on to produce the comedy Blast from the Past
through both The Forge and Midnight Sun Pictures for director Hugh Wilson. The following year, 2000, he returned to TV appearing in a couple of episodes of old friend Markus Selin
's Finnish series Susi rajalla and directing the pilot episode for Fox Television's T.R.A.X. which was not picked-up. At this relative low point in his career, in 2001
, it was old friend Sylvester Stallone
, who helped Harlin out by bringing him on board as producer and director of race-car movie Driven
in which he also cameos, however the final product was a yet another critical and commercial failure.
Harlin's next project was to be a movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury short story A Sound of Thunder
but he was fired because he made a creative decision that made Ray Bradbury
very unhappy (and this film's producers decided to support Ray Bradbury
).
Harlin picked up the reins on slasher movie Mindhunters
when original director Peter Howitt
dropped out and spent a long time editing and re-editing this thriller but the release was delayed by studio conflicts. He then went on to re-shoot a more traditional horror version of Exorcist: The Beginning
when the studio were unhappy with the psychological drama cut from director Paul Schrader
. Due to the delays with Mindhunters both films ended up being released in 2004
and both were moderate successes.
In 2006
, Harlin re-teamed with old friend and collaborator Markus Selin to direct a biopic of Finnish President and General of the Cavalry Gustaf Mannerheim, but the budget projection spiraled and the project was put on hold. Instead Harlin made yet another foray into low-budget horror with The Covenant
, which was another moderate commercial success. In 2007 the Mannerheim film project temporarily moved on, and Harlin returned to Finland. Production began in 2008 with Mikko Nousiainen starring as Mannerheim. However, 30% of the funding was cut by one of the financiers with reference to the current global economic recession, and the delay over winter meant that the time window for shooting the winter scenes during the spring of 2009 passed. The project has an uncertain future, but Harlin remains confident.
Harlin directed the WWE Studios action movie 12 Rounds
, starring John Cena
, which was his first film collaboration with 20th Century Fox
since 1990's Die Hard 2
. It was released 27 March 2009.
Despite Harlin's string of failures since the mid-1990s, he is still ranked as one of the top-grossing directors of all time, with his movies having produced a combined U.S. domestic gross of $506,543,064 as of June 2010, which places him 86th on the list of highest grossing directors (based on U.S. domestic gross revenue alone).
He was in Georgia
in 2009 shooting 5 Days of War, a film depicting the 2008 war
between Georgia and Russia
in the region of South Ossetia
. Filming began in the beginning of October 2009, and ended mid-November. In the film, President of Georgia
Mikheil Saakashvili
is played by Cuban-American Hollywood actor Andy García
. The film was released in 2011.
Harlin had been involved with the film Mannerheim
, based on the life of Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
, since 2000. Despite a decade long problem with financing the movie its pre-production commenced in 2010. However, Ilta-Sanomat has now reported that Harlin has now abandoned the project due to a lack of faith in its success. Solar-Films is currently looking for a new director. Harlin has however expressed interest in filming his own version of Mannerheim in the future.
In 2010, Harlin also served as a judge in screenwriting contest The Script-a-thon and selected "Crawl" by Gregory Scott Houghton as the winner in the action category.
.
Currenly he is planning a sequel to The Long Kiss Goodnight
.
restaurant in Helsinki. At the same time he was one of the new owners of the Planet FunFun
indoor amusement park in Kerava
(previously known as Fanfaari). Both the restaurant and amusement park were short-lived ventures, lasting only a few years before they were closed.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. He is best known for Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
(1990), Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger (film)
Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
(1993), The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
(1996) and Deep Blue Sea
Deep Blue Sea
Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 science fiction horror film that stars Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J, and Samuel L Jackson. The film was directed by Renny Harlin and was released in the United States on July 28, 1999.- Plot :...
(1999). His film Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...
(1995) is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of all time.
Early life
Renny Harlin was born in RiihimäkiRiihimäki
Riihimäki is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. It is somewhat of a railway junction, since the railway tracks going from different parts of the nation to Helsinki merge there. Sako, Ltd...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
to a nurse mother and a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
father. His mother often took him to see films at the cinema as a child, particularly those of Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, and he became enamored with the movies often citing Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
’s The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
(1969
1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
) as one of his favourites. Harlin had a video camera from a very early age and made his first short at the age of 12. At the age of 14 he decided to became a film director after he saw Don Siegel
Don Siegel
Donald Siegel was an influential American film director and producer. His name variously appeared in the credits of his films as both Don Siegel and Donald Siegel.-Early life:...
and Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
for the filming of Telefon (1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
).
In 1980, Harlin was working as a commercial director for companies such as Shell Oil while he wrote and directed the 6-minute short Huostaanotto (a.k.a. Custody International) which received its belated premier on Finnish television on 4 November 1979. The following year, 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
, he was assistant cameraman on Läpimurto (a.k.a. The Breakthrough), directed by Janne Kuusi
Janne Kuusi
Janne Kuusi is a Finnish television and film director, screenwriter, producer and occasional actor.-Career:...
, and made a cameo appearance as a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. That same year he was also cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
on two short films; Posliinikissa directed by Kari Paljakka, and Jos minä olisin aikuinen directed by Per-Olof Strandberg. He then made the documentary short Hold On which won the Best Short Subject Award at the 1982
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
national film board awards hosted by YLE.
Harlin started working as a buyer for a Finnish film-distribution company and while on a business trip to L.A. he met up with aspiring film writer/producer Markus Selin
Markus Selin
Markus Selin is a television and film producer.-Career:Selin's first feature was conceived in the mid-80s. While attending a party in L.A. he was introduced to fellow Finn Renny Harlin and so became good friends with the aspiring director who was then working as a buyer for a Finnish distribution...
. The two Finns would become long-term friends and collaborators. They quickly set to work on the script for their first film Born American
Born American
Born American is a 1986 film directed by Renny Harlin. It was a feature length action movie about three Americans vacationing in Finland who cross the border into the Soviet Union...
(a.k.a. Arctic Heat). This was a feature length action movie about three Americans vacationing in Finland who cross the border into the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It was originally supposed to star Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
but he backed out when filming was delayed by funding problems and his son, Mike Norris
Mike Norris (actor)
Michael R. "Mike" Norris is an American actor who has acted in over two dozen films. He is the son of the more famous actor and martial arts champion Chuck Norris. He starred in the 1986 drama film Born American and the 1991 action film Delta Force 3: The Killing Game...
, landed the lead instead. A Finnish production, this was at that the time the most expensive film ever to have been made in Finland but it was initially banned in Finland for a very short while as the film encouraged violence and hatred towards Russians. The international success of the film allowed Harlin to get his foot in the door in Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.
Success in Hollywood
Harlin moved to the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he was initially put to work directing low-budget horror movies, but commercial success was soon to follow. In 1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
, Irwin Yablans
Irwin Yablans
Irwin Yablans is an American independent film producer and distributor known for his work in the horror film industry.-Biography:...
of Empire Pictures hired him to direct Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, Chelsea Field and Lane Smith
Lane Smith
Walter Lane Smith III was an American actor. Some of his well known roles included portraying collaborator entrepreneur Nathan Bates in the NBC television series V, Mayor Bates in the film Red Dawn, newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,...
in the low-budget horror film Prison filmed at a former state prison in Rawlins, Wyoming
Rawlins, Wyoming
Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
. That same year Robert Shaye
Robert Shaye
Robert Kenneth Shaye , often referred to as Bob Shaye, is an American businessman, film producer, director and actor.-Early life:...
of New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, after some initial doubts, hired him to direct another low-budget horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
, which became the highest grossing independent film at that time by earning $49 million in the US. Harlin cameos in the film as a student while a publicity poster for Prison can be seen in the background of a scene in a movie theatre.
Following this success 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
approached Harlin with science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
/horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
sequel Alien 3. After working on the trouble-prone project for a year, he left in 1990
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
claiming not to be satisfied with any of the multiple scripts that had been drafted and stating that he wanted to do something completely different. The next day the studio offered him rock-and-roll comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is a 1990 American action/comedy film starring comedian Andrew Dice Clay as Ford Fairlane, a "Rock n' Roll Detective," whose beat is the music industry in Los Angeles. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
starring stand-up comic Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
. Studio executives were so impressed by the dailies
Dailies
Dailies, in filmmaking, are the raw, unedited footage shot during the making of a motion picture. They are so called because usually at the end of each day, that day's footage is developed, synched to sound, and printed on film in a batch for viewing the next day by the director and some members...
on this film that they offered Harlin action sequel Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
starring Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, which he set to work on immediately. The two films were edited simultaneously and were released just a week apart after being shipped to the theaters as "wet prints". The former flopped but the latter was another commercial success for the director. He achieved critical acclaim the following year, 1991
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
, when he produced Rambling Rose
Rambling Rose (film)
Rambling Rose is a 1991 American film set in Georgia during the Great Depression starring Laura Dern, Diane Ladd and Robert Duvall, directed by Martha Coolidge....
, through his own recently formed Midnight Sun Pictures, for director Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. -Career:Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ms. Coolidge first made her reputation by directing many award winning documentaries in New York before moving out to Hollywood in 1976. She spent several...
which won him the Best Feature award at the 1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
and got his star and then partner Laura Dern
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
a Best Actress Oscar
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
nomination at the 1992 Academy Awards
64th Academy Awards
The 64th Academy Awards were presented March 30, 1992 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The show was the third consecutive to be hosted by Billy Crystal...
.
1993 was a big year for Harlin. Mario Kassar
Mario Kassar
Mario F. Kassar is a film producer and industry executive whose projects are frequently in association with Andrew G. Vajna.Kassar was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Working for Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures, he was executive producer of several movies starting with Victory in 1981...
of Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures, Inc., Carolco International N.V., or Anabasis Investments was an American independent film production company that, within a decade, went from producing such blockbuster successes as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the first three movies of the Rambo series to being bankrupted by...
, who had worked with him on Rambling Rose, offered him Gale Force a film about hurricanes with Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
attached to star. Harlin initially turned down the offer due to the script's similarities to Die Hard 2 but Kassar kept offering a bigger salary, changing the pay scale of Hollywood directors, until Harlin accepted. The film's projected cost spiraled and eventually the plug was pulled, but the project went on to evolve into Cliffhanger. This film was another commercial success and is credited with reviving Stallone’s flagging career. The actor became good friends with Harlin. This same year Harlin married American actress Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
and also found time to return to his homeland to write and direct the TV series Gladiaattorit
Gladiaattorit
Gladiaattorit was a Finnish competition television program part of the international Gladiators franchise. The show ran 1993-1994, was directed by Hollywood director Renny Harlin, produced by Markus Selin, and filmed at Planet FunFun...
(the Finnish version of American Gladiators
American Gladiators
American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
) with old friend and collaborator Markus Selin
Markus Selin
Markus Selin is a television and film producer.-Career:Selin's first feature was conceived in the mid-80s. While attending a party in L.A. he was introduced to fellow Finn Renny Harlin and so became good friends with the aspiring director who was then working as a buyer for a Finnish distribution...
.
Later career in Hollywood
Returning to Hollywood, Harlin and his new wife formed a production company known as The Forge. Through this company Harlin produced comedy film SpeechlessSpeechless (film)
Speechless is a 1994 romantic comedy film directed by Ron Underwood. It stars Geena Davis , Michael Keaton, Bonnie Bedelia, Ernie Hudson and Christopher Reeve.-Plot:...
for director Ron Underwood
Ron Underwood
Ronald Brian "Ron" Underwood is an American film director.-Early Life:-Early career :-Mainstream breakthrough :-Filmography:...
which got star Davis a 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
Golden Globe nomination.
In 1995, Harlin set to work on a pirate movie called Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...
with Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
attached to star. Harlin convinced producer Mario Kassar
Mario Kassar
Mario F. Kassar is a film producer and industry executive whose projects are frequently in association with Andrew G. Vajna.Kassar was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Working for Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures, he was executive producer of several movies starting with Victory in 1981...
that, despite being known for light-weight comedy roles, Davis was perfect for the female love interest in this action blockbuster. After Kassar agreed Harlin set about beefing up Davis’ role until Douglas left the production giving her the lead. The $92 million production, in which Harlin cameos as a pirate, went on to be a major critical and commercial failure entering the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest loss of money for a studio ever. That studio, Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures, Inc., Carolco International N.V., or Anabasis Investments was an American independent film production company that, within a decade, went from producing such blockbuster successes as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the first three movies of the Rambo series to being bankrupted by...
, went bankrupt as a result. Undeterred Harlin returned to New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
in 1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
for his next production and action/thriller called The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
starring Davis and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
. This was another commercial failure that effectively ended Davis' movie career. The couple went on to executive produce the HBO TV movie Mistrial but the marriage was virtually over.
Harlin and Davis were divorced in 1998. That same year, looking for a summer blockbuster for 1999, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
re-teamed Harlin with Jackson for the shark movie Deep Blue Sea
Deep Blue Sea
Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 science fiction horror film that stars Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J, and Samuel L Jackson. The film was directed by Renny Harlin and was released in the United States on July 28, 1999.- Plot :...
. The film, in which Harlin cameos, was mistakenly thought to be a comedy by some and was not the box office hit the studio had wanted. It did, however, make a respectable $73 million domestically and $164 million worldwide. Harlin went on to produce the comedy Blast from the Past
Blast From the Past (film)
Blast from the Past is a 1999 romantic comedy film based on a story and directed by Hugh Wilson and starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, and Dave Foley.-Plot:...
through both The Forge and Midnight Sun Pictures for director Hugh Wilson. The following year, 2000, he returned to TV appearing in a couple of episodes of old friend Markus Selin
Markus Selin
Markus Selin is a television and film producer.-Career:Selin's first feature was conceived in the mid-80s. While attending a party in L.A. he was introduced to fellow Finn Renny Harlin and so became good friends with the aspiring director who was then working as a buyer for a Finnish distribution...
's Finnish series Susi rajalla and directing the pilot episode for Fox Television's T.R.A.X. which was not picked-up. At this relative low point in his career, in 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, it was old friend Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, who helped Harlin out by bringing him on board as producer and director of race-car movie Driven
Driven
Driven is a 2001 film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote and produced. It centers on a young racing driver's effort to win the ChampCar World Series...
in which he also cameos, however the final product was a yet another critical and commercial failure.
Harlin's next project was to be a movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury short story A Sound of Thunder
A Sound of Thunder (film)
A Sound of Thunder is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Peter Hyams. The film was planned originally for a 2002 release. However, flooding in Prague and other financial difficulties—including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production—resulted in a delayed...
but he was fired because he made a creative decision that made Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
very unhappy (and this film's producers decided to support Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
).
Harlin picked up the reins on slasher movie Mindhunters
Mindhunters
Mindhunters is a 2004 thriller film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin...
when original director Peter Howitt
Peter Howitt
Peter Howitt is an English actor and film director. He grew up in Eltham, London and Bromley, Kent, Peter used to be a part of the Priory Players in the Priory behind Christ Church, Eltham. He studied at the Drama Studio London. He has two children, Luke and Amy...
dropped out and spent a long time editing and re-editing this thriller but the release was delayed by studio conflicts. He then went on to re-shoot a more traditional horror version of Exorcist: The Beginning
Exorcist: The Beginning
Exorcist: The Beginning is a 2004 prequel to the 1973 film The Exorcist. This is the second version of the third Exorcist sequel. It was adapted by William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr and Alexi Hawley, and directed by Renny Harlin...
when the studio were unhappy with the psychological drama cut from director Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
. Due to the delays with Mindhunters both films ended up being released in 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
and both were moderate successes.
In 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
, Harlin re-teamed with old friend and collaborator Markus Selin to direct a biopic of Finnish President and General of the Cavalry Gustaf Mannerheim, but the budget projection spiraled and the project was put on hold. Instead Harlin made yet another foray into low-budget horror with The Covenant
The Covenant (film)
The Covenant is a 2006 American action supernatural thriller written by J. S. Cardone, directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Steven Strait, Taylor Kitsch, Toby Hemingway, Chace Crawford, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, and Jessica Lucas...
, which was another moderate commercial success. In 2007 the Mannerheim film project temporarily moved on, and Harlin returned to Finland. Production began in 2008 with Mikko Nousiainen starring as Mannerheim. However, 30% of the funding was cut by one of the financiers with reference to the current global economic recession, and the delay over winter meant that the time window for shooting the winter scenes during the spring of 2009 passed. The project has an uncertain future, but Harlin remains confident.
Harlin directed the WWE Studios action movie 12 Rounds
12 Rounds (film)
12 Rounds is a 2009 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and produced by WWE Studios. The cast is led by professional wrestler John Cena, alongside Steve Harris, Gonzalo Menendez, Aidan Gillen, Brian J. White, Ashley Scott, and Taylor Cole...
, starring John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
, which was his first film collaboration with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
since 1990's Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
. It was released 27 March 2009.
Despite Harlin's string of failures since the mid-1990s, he is still ranked as one of the top-grossing directors of all time, with his movies having produced a combined U.S. domestic gross of $506,543,064 as of June 2010, which places him 86th on the list of highest grossing directors (based on U.S. domestic gross revenue alone).
He was in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
in 2009 shooting 5 Days of War, a film depicting the 2008 war
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
between Georgia and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the region of South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
. Filming began in the beginning of October 2009, and ended mid-November. In the film, President of Georgia
President of Georgia
The President of Georgia is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Government of Georgia. Executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, who is the head of government...
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
is played by Cuban-American Hollywood actor Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
. The film was released in 2011.
Harlin had been involved with the film Mannerheim
Mannerheim (film)
Mannerheim is an upcoming biographical film about the life of Finnish politician and military commander Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. Set to be directed by Finnish director Renny Harlin and produced by Markus Selin, the project has, as of February 2009, stalled shortly before shooting was to begin,...
, based on the life of Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
, since 2000. Despite a decade long problem with financing the movie its pre-production commenced in 2010. However, Ilta-Sanomat has now reported that Harlin has now abandoned the project due to a lack of faith in its success. Solar-Films is currently looking for a new director. Harlin has however expressed interest in filming his own version of Mannerheim in the future.
In 2010, Harlin also served as a judge in screenwriting contest The Script-a-thon and selected "Crawl" by Gregory Scott Houghton as the winner in the action category.
Future projects
In pre-production is an adaption of the comic-book series Brodie's LawBrodie's law
Brodie's Law is a comic book series created by Daley Osiyemi and David Bircham which tells the story of anti-hero, Jack Brodie, East end Gangster, expert thief and professional killer, who in a twist of fate gains the ability to steal his victims' souls and take on their appearance, memories and...
.
Currenly he is planning a sequel to The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
.
Projects outside film industry
Harlin has been involved in few projects outside the film industry. In the 1990s Harlin was involved in establishing the Planet HollywoodPlanet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
restaurant in Helsinki. At the same time he was one of the new owners of the Planet FunFun
Planet FunFun
Planet FunFun was an indoor amusement park located in Kerava, Finland. Originally the park was called Fanfaari but soon after the opening, new owners took over and renamed the park Planet FunFun. Among others the Hollywood director Renny Harlin was one of the new owners...
indoor amusement park in Kerava
Kerava
Kerava is a town and municipality in Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
(previously known as Fanfaari). Both the restaurant and amusement park were short-lived ventures, lasting only a few years before they were closed.
Filmography
- Born AmericanBorn AmericanBorn American is a 1986 film directed by Renny Harlin. It was a feature length action movie about three Americans vacationing in Finland who cross the border into the Soviet Union...
(19861986 in film-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
) - Prison (19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) - A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
(19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) - The Adventures of Ford FairlaneThe Adventures of Ford FairlaneThe Adventures of Ford Fairlane is a 1990 American action/comedy film starring comedian Andrew Dice Clay as Ford Fairlane, a "Rock n' Roll Detective," whose beat is the music industry in Los Angeles. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
(1990) - Die Hard 2Die Hard 2Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
(19901990 in filmThe year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
) - CliffhangerCliffhanger (film)Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
(19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
) - Cutthroat IslandCutthroat IslandCutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...
(19951995 in film-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
) - The Long Kiss GoodnightThe Long Kiss GoodnightThe Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
(19961996 in filmMajor releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
) - Deep Blue SeaDeep Blue SeaDeep Blue Sea is a 1999 science fiction horror film that stars Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J, and Samuel L Jackson. The film was directed by Renny Harlin and was released in the United States on July 28, 1999.- Plot :...
(19991999 in filmThe year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
) - DrivenDrivenDriven is a 2001 film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote and produced. It centers on a young racing driver's effort to win the ChampCar World Series...
(20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
) - MindhuntersMindhuntersMindhunters is a 2004 thriller film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin...
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - Exorcist: The BeginningExorcist: The BeginningExorcist: The Beginning is a 2004 prequel to the 1973 film The Exorcist. This is the second version of the third Exorcist sequel. It was adapted by William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr and Alexi Hawley, and directed by Renny Harlin...
(2004) - The CovenantThe Covenant (film)The Covenant is a 2006 American action supernatural thriller written by J. S. Cardone, directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Steven Strait, Taylor Kitsch, Toby Hemingway, Chace Crawford, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, and Jessica Lucas...
(20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) - CleanerCleaner (film)Cleaner is a 2007 thriller film directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, and Eva Mendes.-Plot:Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he owns and operates a crime scene cleanup company, and performs much of the duties himself...
(20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) - 12 Rounds12 Rounds (film)12 Rounds is a 2009 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and produced by WWE Studios. The cast is led by professional wrestler John Cena, alongside Steve Harris, Gonzalo Menendez, Aidan Gillen, Brian J. White, Ashley Scott, and Taylor Cole...
(20092009 in filmThe year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
) - 5 Days of War (20112011 in filmThe year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...
)