It was confirmed some time ago that Martin Campbell will be directing the upcoming Green Lantern film and recently reported that offices have been set up and pre-production is beginning in earnest. So who is Martin Campbell? Let's take a look at his track record and how much geek cred this guy has.
Campbell made his bones directing various BBC television productiong. The best of the lot being a celebrated BBC mini-series called Edge of Darkness. I've seen it and it's excellent. A moody, somber series that mixes crime drama, political conspiracy, and science fiction. It also has a notable score by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen. Edge of Darkness is slated for a big screen remake starring Mel Gibson.
Geek Cred Moment #1: He directed Cast a Deadly Spell -- an HBO production that featured Fred Ward as H. P. Lovecraft, a hard-boiled P.I. looking for a stolen Necronomicon.
From there he brought James Bond back to the big screen in Goldeneye. However you may feel about that iteration of Bond at least give the man some props for helping revitalize the franchise.
After Goldeneye, Campbell made a series of solid and likeable films including The Mask of Zorro, Vertical Limit, Beyond Borders, and The Legend of Zorro.
Then Campbell scored Geek Cred Moment #2; Casino Royale. Arguably the best, most intense Bond film in a very long time. A film to reset the franchise and bring the character in line with the source material like never before.
And that brings us up to date. The Edge of Darkness remake is in post-production, and Green Lantern is in pre-production. Looking at his filmography Campbell proves to be a solid director, someone who can direct action, and most importantly a director who doesn't look at "genre" films with derision.
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