Tomokazu Tazawa/WireImage(NEW YORK) — Joel Schumacher, known for directing such films as St. Elmo’s Fire, The Lost Boys and Batman Forever, has died at age 80.
Variety confirms he passed away in New York City Monday morning after a year-long battle with cancer.
Schumacher started out in showbiz as a costume designer before turning to filmmaking. He found his first major movie success in 1985 with St. Elmo’s Fire, starring the co-called “Brat Pack”: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy. He next directed another 1980s classic: The vampire horror film The Lost Boys, starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman.
In the 1990s, he took on the Batman franchise, directing 1995’s Batman Forever starring Val Kilmer as the caped crusader, and 1997’s Batman & Robin, with George Clooney taking over the Batman role.
He also helmed thrillers such as Flatliners, Dying Young and the John Grisham adaptations The Client and A Time to Kill, and later directed films including Phone Booth, Veronica Guerin and the film version of The Phantom of the Opera.
Most recently, Schumacher directed a couple of episodes of Netflix’s House of Cards in 2013, and executive produced the series Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors in 2015 for the ID channel.
By Andrea Tuccillo
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