Ridley Scott has been an A list Hollywood director for as long as I have been alive (45 years). He has directed 29 feature films that have collectively grossed $7,773,100,000.00 in cinema ticket sales.
Yip! adjusted for inflation $7.8 Billion in ticket sales!
He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing, three British Academy Film Awards for Best Director, four Golden Globe Awards for Best Director, two Primetime Emmy Awards, In 1995, Ridley received the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema & In 2018 he received the highest accolade from BAFTA, the BAFTA Fellowship, for lifetime achievement.
What I am getting at is Ridley Scott does not give a fuck what I or anyone else on earth has to say about him or his work this man has absolutely nothing to prove.
Another thing Scott has in common with Alan Parker in addition from coming from the word of TV advertising and breaking into feature films with the assistance of legendary film producer David Putnam he also sports a truly eclectic filmography when it comes to genre.
Where Parker had "Music" as a recurring theme through his work where Scott returned to "Sci-Fi" over the years.
I'm not going to go into great detail but here is an overview of Ridley Scott's work to get a taste of the variety of projects he has tackled over his almost 50 year film career.
1. The Duellists (1977)
Genre: historical drama.
2. Alien (1979)
Genre: science fiction horror.
3. Blade Runner (1982)
Genre: neo-noir science fiction
4. Legend (1985)
Genre: epic dark fantasy adventure.
5. Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)
Genre: neo-noir romantic thriller.
6. Black Rain (1989)
Genre: neo-noir crime thriller
7. Thelma & Louise (1991)
Genre: Crime Drama.
8. 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Genre: "epic" historical drama.
9. White Squall (1996)
Genre: disaster survival.
10. G.I. Jane (1997)
Genre: action drama.
11. Gladiator (2000)
Genre: historical epic.
12. Hannibal (2001)
Genre: psychological horror crime thriller
13. Black Hawk Down (2001)
Genre: war
14. Matchstick Men (2003)
Genre: black comedy crime film
15. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Genre: epic historical drama
16. A Good Year (2006)
Genre: romantic comedy-drama
17. American Gangster (2007)
Genre: biographical crime film
18. Body of Lies (2008)
Genre: spy action thriller
19. Robin Hood (2010)
Genre: historical action-adventure
20. Prometheus (2012)
Genre: science fiction horror.
21. The Counsellor (2013)
Genre: crime thriller
22. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
Genre: biblical epic
23. The Martian (2015)
Genre: science fiction
24. Alien: Covenant (2017)
Genre: science fiction horror
25. All the Money in the World (2017)
Genre: biographical crime thriller
26. The Last Duel (2021)
Genre: historical drama
27. House of Gucci (2021)
Genre: biographical crime drama
28. Napoleon (2023)
Genre: historical drama
On the 15th of November 2024 Ridley's 29th feature film will be released in the UK 24 years after the first film Scott has made a sequel to his 2000 smash hit "Gladiator" the aptly named "Gladiator II" this film stars the very talented Irish actor Paul Mescal in the lead role of
"Lucius Verus" the son of Russell Crowe's character "Maximus Decimus Meridius" in the first film. The film also features the acting talent of Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen & Denzel Washington among others.
The trailer looks great and I am really looking forward to seeing it.
Unfortunately I live in Aberdeen so I won't be seeing it in IMAX... but I will be seeing it asap.
While Ridley was doing interviews to promote "Gladiator II" he discussed his plans for the future.
So far I have read that Scott is developing a new Alien movie with 20th century studios, he is also developing a WW2 movie about The Battle of Britain, a secret Sci-Fi project as well as a Bee Gee's bio pic.
In the role of producer with his company "Scott Free" he is working on,
Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut "The Chronology of Water", A thriller called "Echo Valley" directed by Michael Pearce the young director who made "Beast" (2017) & "Encounter" (2021) and is going to star Sydney Sweeney, Julianne Moore, Domhnall Gleeson & Kyle MacLachlan.
Director Michael Dowse’s movie "Trap House" as well as two Apple TV+ projects
Peter Craig’s "Dope Thief" and and Steve Thompson’s "Prime Target".
So now at the age of 87 he has no intentions on slowing down any time soon.
It is fair to say that over the last 47 years and 29 films Scott has enjoyed mixed commercial and critical success with his work but the simple fact is Ridley is one of the most successful and influential filmmakers of all time.
If Ridley had only made his first 3 films he would be a legendary director.
His filmography is littered with films that are beloved by film fans regardless of box office performance or the opinions of critics.
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