Joseph Eggleston Johnston II (born May 13, 1950)^[1] is an American film director, producer, writer, and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing effects-driven films, includingHoney, I Shrunk the Kids (1989),The Rocketeer (1991),Jumanji (1995),Jurassic Park III (2001),The Wolfman (2010), andCaptain America: The First Avenger (2011).

Joe Johnston
Johnston at the 2010San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Joseph Eggleston Johnston II (1950-05-13)May 13, 1950 (age 74) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Education	ArtCenter College of Design
Alma mater	California State University
Occupations	Film director film producer effects artist art director writer
Years active	1977–present
Notable work	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids The Rocketeer Jumanji Jurassic Park III The Wolfman Captain America: The First Avenger

Johnston was born Joseph Eggleston Johnston II inAustin, Texas,^[2] and attendedCalifornia State University, Long Beach, and Pasadena'sArt Center College of Design, both for industrial design.

Much of the work at the beginning of Johnston's screen career combined design and special effects. He began his career as a concept artist and effects technician on the firstStar Wars film, directed byGeorge Lucas. He was the creative designer of theMillennium Falcon spacecraft^[3] and co-created the design ofBoba Fett inThe Empire Strikes Back,^[4] while working forIndustrial Light & Magic in the 1970s and was art director on one of the effects teams for the sequelReturn of the Jedi. His association with Lucas would later prove fruitful, when he became one of four to win anAcademy Award forBest Visual Effects for Lucas andSteven Spielberg's filmRaiders of the Lost Ark.^[5] Johnston continued to work on many films as an effects expert.

He was also associate producer on fantasy filmWillow, and production designer on two mid-1980s TV movies which featured theEwoks seen inReturn of the Jedi.

Johnston is also author ofStar Wars novelThe Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense, which ties intoReturn of the Jedi (New York:Random House, 1984;ISBN 0-394-86568-5,ISBN 0-394-96568-X).^[6]

In 1984, at 34, Johnston went to George Lucas and stated his desire to leaveLucasfilm for a year. However, Lucas offered him to go toUSC School of Cinematic Arts and study there for a year, complete with paid tuition and half-salary that would let Johnston take any class he wanted.^[7][8] Johnston left after a year, saying he "was asked not to return" because he "broke too many rules".^[9]

Johnston made his directorial debut in 1989 with hit comedy adventureHoney, I Shrunk the Kids, starringRick Moranis. He followed it withcomic-book adaptationThe Rocketeer (1991). The film was a commercial failure, as was his next, the animated and live-actionThe Pagemaster, starringMacaulay Culkin. Johnston rebounded, directing the family hitJumanji, starringRobin Williams. The film overcame lukewarm reviews to gross over $260 million.^[10]

Johnston was set to directHulk,^[11] but dropped out in July 1997. Johnston then switched gears from effects-driven action films to the more personalOctober Sky (1999), starring a teenageJake Gyllenhaal as a 1950sWest Virginiahigh school student who dreams of being a rocket scientist forNASA against his father's wishes.

Johnston's first project of the 2000s was the sequelJurassic Park III, which made over US$300 million at the box office. Johnston followed it with westernHidalgo, starringViggo Mortensen. Johnston then took a six-year directorial break before signing on at a month's notice to take over the 2010 remake of 1941 horror classicThe Wolfman. Shot inEngland, the film starredBenicio del Toro andAnthony Hopkins.

In part thanks to his experience with the periodsuperhero filmThe Rocketeer, Johnston was selected to directMarvel Studios superhero adaptationCaptain America: The First Avenger. Released on July 22, 2011,^[12] the film starsChris Evans as thecomic book hero andHugo Weaving as his archenemy theRed Skull. In 2014, Johnston directed the thrillerNot Safe for Work forBlumhouse Productions.

On December 12, 2017,The Hollywood Reporter reported that Johnston would direct 32 days of reshoots on the filmThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms, due to its directorLasse Hallström being unavailable.^[13]

On December 5, 2019, it was reported that Joe Johnston was in negotiations withWalt Disney Pictures to directShrunk, a legacy sequel toHoney, I Shrunk the Kids.^[14][15]

Film

Television

Film

Television

• 1977:The Star Wars Sketchbook
• 1980:The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook (withNilo Rodis-Jamero)
• 1983:Return of the Jedi Sketchbook (with Nilo Rodis-Jamero)
• 1984:The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense
• 2005:Star Wars: Aux origines du mythe (with Doug Chiang)
• 2007:The Hill Culture
• 2011:The Mack Marsden Murder Mystery

• Joe Johnston atIMDb