Tonight on TV: the film that cost its director his career

After having been in charge of special effects for many films, including Aliens the return in 1986 and Alien³ in 1991, Stephen Norrington devoted himself to directing music videos. In 1995, he wrote, produced and directed his first feature film, Death Machine, a low-budget science fiction film. He is then responsible for adapting the Blade comic strip on the big screen, where Wesley Snipes plays a vampire hunter.

Five years after this unfortunate experience with the New Line studio, Stephen Norrington nevertheless decides to return behind the camera. In 2003, he was offered another comic book adaptation, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. Falling under the steampunk genre, this one brings together several characters from 19th century fantasy literature.

From the outset, Stephen Norrington wanted to remain faithful to the original work and retain its darkness. But the Fox, just like the main actor Sean Connery, also executive producer of the film, do not hear it that way. Over the rewrites (20 in total!), the director sees his project escape him. Already tense, relations between the filmmaker and the headliner soured on the set – which suffered at the same time from budget cuts and major financial losses due to flooding. Stephen Norrington also files his resignation, but threatened by the Fox to be sued, returns to the set to complete the job.

Upon its theatrical release, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen went down in flames by international critics. The film marks the end of Sean Connery’s career. Just like that of Stephen Norrington. The latter retired from the film industry – with the exception of his special effects design for The Exorcist: In the Beginning – having participated in the Burning Man festival for ten years before returning to his first love: the animatronic.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Stephen Norrington with Sean Connery, Shane West, Peta Wilson…

Tonight on 6ter at 9:05 p.m.