Michael Caton-Jones
Michael Caton-Jones (born Michael Jones; 15 October 1957[1]) is a Scottish director and producer of film and television. His credits include the World War II film Memphis Belle (1990), the romantic comedy Doc Hollywood (1991), the biographical drama This Boy's Life (1993), the historical epic Rob Roy (1995), the action thriller The Jackal (1997) and the erotic thriller sequel Basic Instinct 2 (2006). He also directed the Channel 4 miniseries Brond (1987) and World Without End (2012).[2]
Michael Caton-Jones | |
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Born | Michael Jones 15 October 1957 Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland |
Occupation(s) | Film director, television director, producer |
Biography
Caton-Jones grew up in Broxburn, near Edinburgh. He moved to London and squatted in Stoke Newington.[3] He attended the National Film and Television School.[4]
In October 2017, Caton-Jones told BuzzFeed News that he was forced from the production of the 1998 crime drama film B. Monkey when he refused to fire lead actress Sophie Okonedo, who producer Harvey Weinstein had deemed was not "fuckable". Weinstein told Variety that Caton-Jones left the production due to "creative differences". Michael Radford was hired to replace Caton-Jones and Okonedo was replaced by Asia Argento. Argento was one of three women who in 2017 told The New Yorker she had been raped by Weinstein; she said she submitted to Weinstein because "I felt I had to, because I had the movie coming out and I didn’t want to anger him."[5]
Caton-Jones has been accused of sexual harassment [6] with Sharon Stone alleging in Vogue Portugal that during the shooting of Basic Instinct 2 he asked her to sit on his lap to receive directions and refused to shoot if she did not do so. She stated "I can say we all hated that and I think the film reflects the quality of the atmosphere we all worked in”. [7]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | The Riveter | Yes | Yes | No | Short film Also editor Nominated – Prize of the City of Torino for Best Short Film |
1989 | Scandal | Yes | No | No | Nominated – European Film Award for Young European Film of the Year |
1990 | Memphis Belle | Yes | No | No | Nominated – International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film |
1991 | Doc Hollywood | Yes | No | No | Cameo as "Maitre D'" |
1993 | This Boy's Life | Yes | No | No | |
1995 | Rob Roy | Yes | Executive | No | |
1997 | The Jackal | Yes | Yes | No | Cameo as "Man in Video" |
2002 | City by the Sea | Yes | Yes | No | Cameo as "Man in Subway Train" |
2005 | Shooting Dogs | Yes | No | No | Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Director |
2006 | Basic Instinct 2 | Yes | No | No | Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
2015 | Urban Hymn | Yes | No | No | Ale Kino Audience Award Ale Kino Organiser's Prize Golden Gryphon - Generator +18 |
2018 | Asher | Yes | No | No | |
2019 | After the Wedding | No | Executive | No | |
2019 | Our Ladies[8][9] | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Television director
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1987 | Brond | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
1988 | Screen Two | Episode: "Lucky Sunil" |
1998 | Trinity | Episode: "Pilot" |
2010 | Spooks | Episodes 9.2 & 9.3 |
2012 | World Without End | Miniseries; 8 episodes |
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Torino Film Festival | Best Short Film | The Riveter | Nominated |
1989 | European Film Academy | Young European Film of the Year | Scandal | Nominated |
1991 | Fantasporto | Best Film | Memphis Belle | Nominated |
2006 | British Independent Film Awards | Best Director | Shooting Dogs | Nominated |
2007 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Director | Basic Instinct 2 | Nominated |
2016 | Giffoni Film Festival | Golden Gryphon - Generator +18 | Urban Hymn | Won |
Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival | Audience Award | Urban Hymn | Won | |
The Organiser's Prize | Urban Hymn | Won |
References
- Michael Caton-Jones Biography (1957-)
- "Michael Caton-Jones | United Agents". unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- Johnston, Sheila (19 August 1993). "Home from the Hollywood hills: Michael Caton-Jones left". The Independent. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- Appelo, Tim (27 July 2011). "The 25 Best Film Schools Rankings". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Jackson McHenry "Director Says Harvey Weinstein Recast the Lead in His Film Because the Actress Wasn't 'F*ckable'", Vulture.com, 17 October 2017.
- Andrade, Sara (8 May 2019). "Sharon Stone talks about Hollywood, #MeToo and Basic Instinct". Vogue Portugal. Vogue Portugal. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- Parande, Shweta (20 August 1993). "You got hired if you were 'f**kable', says Sharon Stone, as she recreates Basic Instinct scene". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- "Michael Caton-Jones to Direct Scottish Catholic Choir Comedy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- "Michael Caton-Jones' long-gestating 'The Sopranos' starts shooting in Edinburgh". Screen. Retrieved 2 November 2019.