Craig Brewer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Craig Houston Brewer (1971-12-06)December 6, 1971 (age 53) Newport News, Virginia,[1] United States |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Hustle & Flow |
Craig Houston Brewer (born December 6, 1971) is an American filmmaker. His 2005 movieHustle & Flow won the Audience Award at the 2005Sundance Film Festival and achieved commercial success, along with anAcademy Award forBest Original Song, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". He is also known for directing the 2011 remake ofFootloose, the 2019 filmDolemite Is My Name and the 2021 filmComing 2 America, the latter two films starring Academy Award nomineeEddie Murphy.
Brewer is the son of Gail, a teacher, and Walter D. Brewer, an executive who worked for Matson Navigation Co. He is of Irish, English, and Spanish descent.[2][3] He was born inNewport News, Virginia, where his father was stationed in theArmy, and grew up inVallejo, California.[1] One of his grandparents wasMarv Throneberry, a professionalbaseball player and spokesman forMiller Lite beer.
Hustle & Flow was financed by filmmakerJohn Singleton, also produced byStephanie Allain, Preston Holmes and executive produced by Dwight Williams. Singleton was impressed by Brewer's first feature,The Poor & Hungry, shot inMemphis, Tennessee. Ten years after the release ofHustle & Flow, Brewer re-teamed withTerrence Howard andTaraji P. Henson on their acclaimed television series,Empire.[4] The first episode he directed, "Fires of Heaven", aired October 7, 2015.[5] Brewer would go on to direct ten more episodes in the series' run.
Brewer's subsequent project,Black Snake Moan, began filming in September 2005 and starsSamuel L. Jackson,Christina Ricci, andJustin Timberlake.Black Snake Moan was partially filmed inStanton, Tennessee. Production completed onBlack Snake Moan in October 2005 and it was released on March 2, 2007. His first big-budget film, a remake of the1984 film,Footloose was released on October 14, 2011 after Brewer and the two stars of the film,Kenny Wormald andJulianne Hough, completed a national press tour promoting the film.[6]
In 2012, Brewer was executive producer ofKaty Perry: Part of Me.[7] That same year, Brewer premiered a documentary he directed aboutIndie Memphis and filmmakers calledIndie Origins.[8] In 2014, Brewer was elected President of Indie Memphis for two years.[9] A year later, Brewer released a video made in conjunction with theMemphis Grizzlies on the city's adoration of playerMarc Gasol; Brewer himself makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the video.[10]
Brewer is also the creator of$5 Cover, an MTV drama series about Memphis musicians. The 15-episode show was broadcast online and on MTV, and featured Memphis musicians playing themselves and their original songs. Other TV projects include an episode ofThe Shield and the pilot toTerriers. Brewer returned to directing TV pilots withBoomerang forFOX, starringFelicity Huffman .[11] It was not picked up. In January 2014, Brewer signed a deal withParamount Television to executive produce, write and direct two TV drama pilots.[12] In late May 2015, one of these shows was revealed to be a television adaptation of the filmUrban Cowboy; Brewer wrote the pilot and directed it,[13] but the pilot was not picked up by FOX.[14]
In late February 2013, Brewer's theatrical follow-up toFootloose was announced asGangster Princess of Beverly Hills, based on the true-life crime escapades of Lisette Lee, a young woman who claimed to be the heiress of Samsung. Brewer will write and direct.[15] A year later, Brewer was also attached to potentially direct a new version ofThe Idolmaker, with Justin Timberlake producing.[16][17]
Brewer wrote a draft for Warner Bros.' 2016 filmThe Legend of Tarzan, directed byDavid Yates.[18]
In June 2018, Brewer began directing aNetflix feature,Dolemite Is My Name. Based on the life ofRudy Ray Moore, the film stars Academy Award nomineeEddie Murphy as Moore, a '70s comedian who puts up the money to make an action film based on a character from his stand-up material. The film is written byScott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.[19] Other cast members includeWesley Snipes,Craig Robinson andMike Epps. The film was released in 2019.[20]
In January 2019, it was announced that Brewer would direct Eddie Murphy inComing 2 America. Production began in August 2019.[21] Due tothe COVID-19 pandemic closing theaters worldwide the film was released throughAmazon Prime Video,[22] on March 5, 2021.[23] The film became a huge success for Amazon, topping theNielsen ratings ahead of every other TV show or movie on major streaming subscription services.[24]
In December 2021, Deadline broke the news that Brewer would be reteaming withFootloose actorDennis Quaid in a biopic on the life of African-American country singerCharley Pride titledAmerican Pride. Quaid will co-produce the film with Brewer and co-star as singer/songwriter"Cowboy" Jack Clement. The film will be written byEmpire writerDianne Houston.[25]
In December 2023, Deadline reported that Brewer would direct select episodes of thePeacock miniseriesFight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, starring and produced byKevin Hart.[26] The series reunites Brewer with past cast membersSamuel L. Jackson fromBlack Snake Moan andTerrence Howard andTaraji P. Henson fromHustle & Flow andEmpire.[27][28][29]
In October 2024, Variety reported that Brewer would write and direct a narrative feature adaptation of the documentarySong Sung Blue, starring Academy Award nomineesHugh Jackman andKate Hudson. The film follows follows the true story of Milwaukee couple Mike and Claire Sardina, down-on-their-luck musicians who became local icons by performing as "Lightning & Thunder."[30]
In June 2025, Deadline Hollywood reported that Brewer would direct and co-write abiopic on the life of rapperSnoop Dogg (who previously appeared in Brewer'sDolemite is My Name). The film will be co-written byJoe Robert Cole and produced by Dogg andBrian Grazer.[31]
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Poor & Hungry | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2004 | Resolutions of the Complacent Man | Yes | Yes | |
| 2005 | Hustle & Flow | Yes | Yes | |
| 2006 | Black Snake Moan | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Footloose | Yes | Yes | |
| 2012 | Indie Origins | Yes | ||
| 2012 | Katy Perry: Part of Me | Yes | ||
| 2016 | The Legend of Tarzan | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Dolemite Is My Name | Yes | ||
| 2021 | Coming 2 America | Yes | ||
| 2025 | Song Sung Blue | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TBA | Untitled Snoop Dogg Biopic | Yes | Yes |
Television
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)