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Gerard Johnstone

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Gerard Johnstone
Born
Invercargill, New Zealand
Occupations
  • Director
  • writer
Years active2008–present
Children2

Gerard Johnstone is a New Zealand screenwriter and director. He is known for the comedy sitcom series The Jaquie Brown Diaries and the horror films Housebound and M3GAN.

Early life[edit]

Johnstone was born in Invercargill, New Zealand,[1] where he attended Verdon College.[2]

Career[edit]

In the early 2000s, Johnstone and Jaquie Brown worked together at C4. A few years later, they created a production company, Young, Gifted & Brown, to make the New Zealand sitcom The Jaquie Brown Diaries, based on a satirical fictionalised version of Brown. It began airing in 2008 with Johnstone serving as writer and director.[3][4]

In March 2014, Johnstone made his directorial debut with Housebound at the South by Southwest festival.[5] The comedy horror film was released on 17 October 2014 in select theatres and VOD.[6] The following year, Johnstone approached New Zealand weightlifter Sonia Manaena, who set the world record in 2013 for deadlifting, about directing a film detailing her life being a competitive weightlifter.[7] Filming was scheduled to begin in 2016,[7] but as of 2023 Johnstone said, "It's been cooking in the background for a long time".[8]

In 2016, he released Terry Teo, a reboot of the 1985 television series, Terry and the Gunrunners.[9] By August 2017, Johnstone was reported to be in the running to direct Warner Bros.' Dark Universe, but instead was hired to polish the script.[10]

Johnstone directed episodes of the first season of The New Legends of Monkey, airing in 2018.[11] That same year, he signed on to direct the comedy horror film, M3GAN.[12] Producer James Wan chose Johnstone for the job after admiring his ability to balance horror and comedy elements in Housebound.[13] M3GAN was released on 6 January 2023 to commercial and critical success. It grossed over $30 million on its opening weekend and garnered positive reviews.[14][15]

Personal life[edit]

Johnstone is married.[16] He has two sons, born in 2012 and 2014.[17]

Filmography[edit]

Film

Year Title Director Writer
2014 Housebound Yes Yes
2022 M3GAN Yes No

|- |2025 | M3GAN 2.0 |style="background:#9EFF9E;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes |style="background:#FFC7C7;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-no"|No |} |N

Television

Year Title Director Writer Executive
Producer 		Notes
2008–2009 The Jaquie Brown Diaries Yes Yes No 14 episodes
2016 Terry Teo Yes Yes No 6 episodes (director); 4 episodes (writer)
2018 The New Legends of Monkey Yes No Yes 6 episodes

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kiwi director Gerard Johnstone poised to polish Justice League Dark script". Stuff. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ Maka, Valu (13 January 2023). "From meat works to making waves in Hollywood". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Young, gifted and Brown". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  4. ^ "The Jaquie Brown diaries. Series one [videorecording] / director, Gerard Johnstone ; producer, Hayley Cunningham ; writers, Gerard Johnstone, Jodie Molloy". National Library of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  5. ^ Whittaker, Richard (11 March 2014). "SXSW Gets Housebound". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  6. ^ Dickson, Evan (6 October 2014). "Housebound Movie Clip: Beware the Teddy Bear". Collider. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b Salter, Caitlin (14 May 2015). "Film to be made about Southland power lifter Sonia Manaena". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  8. ^ Connelly, Brendon (10 January 2023). "M3gan interview: Gerard Johnstone on his brilliant career and creating a horror icon". Film Stories. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  9. ^ Johnstone, Gerard (24 November 2016). "Throwback Thursday: The maker of Terry Teo (2016) on Terry Teo (1985)". The Spinoffn. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (29 August 2017). "'Justice League Dark' Gets Script Polish From Gerard Johnstone". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Gerard Johnstone". NZ On Screen. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  12. ^ Kit, Borys (18 July 2018). "Jason Blum, James Wan Team for Horror-Thriller 'M3GAN' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (8 January 2023). "How 'M3GAN' Boogied Her Way To The Box Office Via TikTok; Sequel Already In Works". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (8 January 2023). "'M3GAN' Slays With $30M+ Opening; 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Hits Half Billion Faster Than 'Top Gun 2', 'Rogue One – Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  15. ^ "M3GAN (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  16. ^ Lyon, Joshua (12 January 2023). "For a Deadly Doll, a Killer Wardrobe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  17. ^ Colangelo, B. J. (6 January 2023). "M3GAN Director Gerard Johnstone On How To Balance Comedy With Creepiness [Exclusive Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerard_Johnstone&oldid=1230936482"