Allen and Albert Hughes | |
|---|---|
 Albert (left) and Allen (right) in 2009 | |
| Born | (1972-04-01)April 1, 1972 (age 52) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Other names | The Hughes Brothers |
| Occupation | Filmmakers |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Albert Hughes andAllen Hughes (born April 1, 1972), known together professionally as theHughes Brothers, are American twin brother filmmakers. They are known for visceral and often violent films, includingMenace II Society (1993),Dead Presidents (1995),From Hell (2001), andThe Book of Eli (2010). They did most of their collaborations between 1993 and 2001. They have primarily worked separately since Albert moved toPrague in 2004, withThe Book of Eli being the only film they have directed together following his move.
Albert and Allen Hughes were born inDetroit on April 1, 1972,[1] the twin sons of Armenian-American mother Aida and African-American father Albert Hughes. Aida's family wereIranian-Armenians fromTehran.[2] Albert is older by nine minutes.[3] Although they originally believed themselves to befraternal twins, the brothers now suspect they may beidentical despite not having had a DNA test.[4] Their parents divorced when they were two years old. At the age of nine, the brothers moved with their mother toClaremont, California, where she raised them alone while putting herself through school and starting her own vocational center.[3] Supportive of her sons' ambitions as filmmakers, she gave them a video camera when they were 12.[5] They spent their free time making short films, and when a teacher suggested that they make a "How-To" film for an assignment, they created the short filmHow to Be a Burglar.[3]
Allen and singerStevvi Alexander had a son together at the age of 18, prompting the twins to drop out of high school and begin working on music videos. They soon directed for artists such asTone Loc andTupac Shakur.[6] Their first feature film, 1993'sMenace II Society, premiered at theCannes Film Festival. Centering on black, disenfranchised youth, it was made on a budget of $3.5 million when they were 20 years old. Tyger Williams wrote the screenplay, and shared story credit with the brothers. It became a critical as well as a box office success and was nominated for anIndependent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. Because of their previous experience in directing music videos, they became the first sibling duo sinceJerry andDavid Zucker allowed a waiver by theDirectors Guild of America to take co-credit as directors.[1]
Their second film wasDead Presidents in 1995. Dealing with the black underclass society like their feature film debut, and also starringLarenz Tate, the film centered on war veterans during the racially chargedVietnam War era. The film, which was released at the New York Critics Film Festival, failed to make as much of a profit as their first film.[3] They followedDead Presidents withAmerican Pimp, a feature-length documentary about the underground pimp culture and exploitation of women. It premiered at the 1999Sundance Film Festival. They had originally set out to do an adaptation ofIceberg Slim's novelPimp, but someone else acquired the rights.[7] The brothers have stated that the film's perspective was partially shaped by being raised by their mother, who is a feminist and a lesbian.[8][9] In between projects, they filmed several anti-handgun public service announcements.[10]
In a departure from their previous material, the Hughes brothers co-directedFrom Hell, the 2001 film adaptation ofAlan Moore'sgraphic novel of the same name about theJack the Ripper murders inVictorian England, starringJohnny Depp andHeather Graham. Considered too violent and gory by some critics, the film had to be edited in order to avoid anNC-17 rating by theMPAA.[3] As described by the film's star, there were sometimes disagreements between the twins regarding the direction of the film.[10] For example, the amount of shown violence was a point of contention between the two; one brother thought the brutality should be shown, while the other believed implied violence would suffice.[11]
Their only film together since 2001'sFrom Hell was the post-apocalyptic dramaBook of Eli, which was released in January 2010.[12]
In 2006, the brothers were announced as directingThe Iceman, a film about serial killerRichard Kuklinski, but it was eventually directed byAriel Vromen, and released in 2012. They were also slated to direct a film version of the classic TV seriesKung Fu.[12][13] It was announced in 2010 that the brothers were tapped to direct a live-action adaptation of the 1988 mangaAkira,[14] but they left the project in 2011.[15]
When the brothers collaborate, Allen typically works with the actors while Albert handles the technical aspects of their films, stemming from his experience of studying atLos Angeles City College's film school.[1]
Allen directed a few episodes of the American version of the TV seriesTouching Evil (for which his brother was an executive producer) as well as the 2005 television featureKnights of the South Bronx.
In 2009, Allen directed a segment ofNew York, I Love You, starringDrea De Matteo andBradley Cooper.[16]
Allen Hughes directed the 2013 filmBroken City, a crime thriller starringMark Wahlberg[17] andRussell Crowe.[18] He directed the four-part 2017HBO documentary miniseriesThe Defiant Ones, about music producersJimmy Iovine andDr. Dre.
In 2005, it was announced that Albert would direct a feature film calledArt Con, although no further news was reported on its development.[5]
In December 2012, Albert Hughes announced that he would be producing an online video series using theCrysis 3 game engine calledThe 7 Wonders of Crysis 3.[19]
In 2018, Albert Hughes directed his first solo feature film,Alpha. The film was written by Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt, based on a story written by Hughes, and holds an approval rating of 79% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
Known as much for their frank manner as for their films, the brothers have been known to get into altercations. They took rapperTupac Shakur to court in 1994 after he assaulted them during a music video shoot.[20] Shakur had originally been slated to star inMenace II Society, but was replaced after the incident, which apparently stemmed from him disliking the role they had chosen for him. He was later sentenced to 15 days in jail for the assault, as well as another incident that occurred the day before his sentencing.[21]
The brothers are open about theirmarijuana use and have turned down offers to make anti-marijuana commercials.[10]
Allen and singerStevvi Alexander have a son together named Eric, who was born while the two were in high school. Albert has a daughter named Adrienne,[22] and has lived inPrague since 2004.[23] Albert said of his relationship with Allen in 2013, "I think the relationship is just much more complex now than it used to be. We love each other, and in the end we're still the best of friends. We're the only people we're going to call [when stressful things happen] but we're kind of in a weird dance right now."[23]
| Year | Title | Directors | Producers | Writers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Menace II Society | Yes | Yes | Story | Also executive soundtrack producers |
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Yes | Yes | Story | |
| 1999 | American Pimp | Yes | Yes | No | Documentary |
| 2001 | From Hell | Yes | Executives | No | |
| 2010 | The Book of Eli | Yes | No | No |
Allen Hughes
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Knights of the South Bronx | Yes | No | No | TV movie |
| 2008 | New York, I Love You | Yes | No | No | 1 segment |
| 2013 | Broken City | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | The Defiant Ones | Yes | Executive | Yes | Documentary mini-series |
| 2023 | Dear Mama | Yes | Executive | Yes | |
| TBA | Untitled Snoop Dogg biopic film | Yes | Yes | No | [24] |
Albert Hughes
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Alpha | Yes | Yes | Story | |
| 2020 | The Good Lord Bird | Yes | Executive | No | Episode "Meet the Lord" |
| 2023 | The Continental: From the World of John Wick | Yes | Executive | No | 2 episodes |
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