Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier is a French film director known for his work in the action-adventure, science fiction, and thriller genres. Born in Paris to a family involved in the film industry, he gained early exposure to cinema, assisting his father on various French films. Leterrier's career took off in Hollywood after he stepped in as director for the successful action-thriller The Transporter in 2002. He is recognized for directing notable films such as The Incredible Hulk (2008) and Clash of the Titans (2010), both of which contributed significantly to his reputation as a skilled director. His filmography extends to varied genres, including the dramatic thriller Now You See Me (2013) and the action-comedy The Brothers Grimsby (2016). In addition to his film work, Leterrier has ventured into television, directing episodes for series like The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Lupin. Recently, he directed Fast X (2023), part of the popular Fast and Furious franchise, and is set to direct its sequel. Leterrier's contributions to cinema have marked him as a versatile filmmaker with a unique ability to appeal to diverse audiences.
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Subject Terms
Louis Leterrier
Film director
- Born: June 17, 1973
- Place of Birth: Paris, France
Contribution: Louis Leterrier started his career by assisting with French films. He then quickly worked his way up in Hollywood to direct some of the most popular action-adventure, science fiction, and thriller-adventure movies of the early twenty-first century.
Background
Louis Leterrier was born in Paris, France, to Catherine and François Leterrier. He was exposed to cinema from an early age, as his father was a film and television director and his mother designed costumes for film sets. He assisted his father with French movies, including Le fils du Mékong (The Son of the Mekong, 1992), and studied filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. After he graduated, he worked as an on-set production assistant for Alien: Resurrection (1997). He then worked primarily in France, as second assistant director for the comedy Restons groupés (1998), and as a production assistant for Jeanne d’Arc (The Messenger: Story of Joan of Arc, 1999). He also served as second assistant director for L’idole (The Idol, 2002) and Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra, 2002). When not working on films, he was involved with the production of commercials.
After Leterrier was hired to be the artistic director of the action-thriller The Transporter (2002), also filmed in France, he ended up filling in for director Corey Yuen. The movie features Jason Statham as a courier who transports a variety of people and packages—without asking any questions—and ends up being the victim of a major crime plot. The success of this film brought Leterrier’s name to the attention of Hollywood producers and jumpstarted his career as a director.
Career
The first film that Leterrier officially directed was Unleashed (2005), otherwise known as Danny the Dog, a martial arts drama that features Jet Li as an enslaved killer who gains a new life after being rescued by a blind piano tuner played by Morgan Freeman. Leterrier followed that film with Transporter 2, a sequel released later in 2005 that received slightly better reviews than The Transporter but failed to overcome its B-movie status.
Leterrier next directed the 2008 remake of The Incredible Hulk, a major Hollywood production produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Studios. The film features Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner, a scientist who is plagued by a condition that morphs him into a raging monster when he is under stress. Based more on the Marvel Comics character than on Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003), Leterrier also paid tribute to the popular television series while adding more emotion, humor, and action to the big screen, qualities especially appreciated by fans of the superhero.
Leterrier’s next major film was Clash of the Titans (2010), a remake of Desmond Davis’s 1981 movie starring Laurence Olivier as Zeus. Leterrier’s version was filmed in the Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Wales, and other challenging locations, and features Liam Neeson as Zeus, Sam Worthington as Perseus, and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. The film did well at the box office, although the 3-D version, an afterthought that Leterrier himself was unhappy with, was considered a major failure by both critics and fans. Rather than directing the sequel, Wrath of the Titans (2012), Leterrier served as its executive producer.
After becoming known mostly for superhero, science fiction, and action-adventure movies, Leterrier took on the slightly more dramatic thriller Now You See Me (2013). The movie stars Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, and Isla Fisher as four magicians who become the Four Horsemen in a Las Vegas stage act and use their illusionist talent to pull off a bank heist. The entertaining sleeper received mixed reviews mostly for its far-fetched plot and poor character development.
Three years later, he shifted gears once again, this time serving as director for the action-comedy film The Brothers Grimsby (2016; released in the United Kingdom as Grimsby). The film follows two brothers, long estranged after being orphaned and separated when they were young, who must come together despite their differences to survive on the run. Overall, The Brothers Grimsby, despite star power such as that of Sacha Baron Cohen, Rebel Wilson, and Mark Strong, was not received well by critics and audiences. Three years later, he transitioned to television, helming ten episodes of the new Netflix limited series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Critically acclaimed, the series served as a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson and Frank Oz film The Dark Crystal.
In 2021, Leterrier directed three episodes of the French TV series Lupin and followed that up by helming the 2022 film The Takedown. In 2023, Leterrier directed the tenth film in the popular Fast and the Furious franchise. The film, Fast X, grossed more than $700 million worldwide. Leterrier was also signed to direct the second part of the film, Fast X: Part 2, which was scheduled for release in 2026.
Impact
Leterrier distinguished himself early on for directing remakes of action-adventure movies that are visionary, original, and appealing to a new generation of filmgoers. Having proven himself in Hollywood, he has joined other directors who have distinguished themselves both in the United States and in France.
Personal Life
Louis Leterrier lives in Los Angeles. He married Béatrice Leterrier, also a director of films and commercials.
Bibliography
Ebert, Roger. "Not an Introspective Hulk." Roger Ebert, 12 June 2008, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-incredible-hulk-2008. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Eagan, Daniel. Rev. of Transporter 2. Film Journal International 108.10 (Oct. 2005): 52–3. Print.
Foundas, Scott. “Leterrier’s Latest Short on Magic.” Variety 4 June 2013: 107. Print.
Lee, Chris. “An Action Hero Angle.” Los Angeles Times, 2 Sept. 2005, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-02-et-leterrier2-story.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Leterrier, Louis. “Now You See Me Director Louis Leterrier: Movies Are Never Finished.” Interview by Jack Giroux. Film School Rejects, 31 May 2013, filmschoolrejects.com/now-you-see-me-director-louis-leterrier-movies-are-never-finished-851f4100eb96/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
"Louis Leterrier." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0504642/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Ryan, Mike. “Louis Leterrier, Now You See Me Director, on the Problems with The Incredible Hulk and Clash Of The Titans.” Huffington Post, 28 May 2013, www.huffpost.com/entry/louis-leterrier-now-you-see-me‗n‗3333311. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Tyree, J. M. “American Heroes.” Film Quarterly 62.3 (2009): 28–34. Print.