Rupert Sanders
Rupert Sanders is a British director born in 1971 in London, known for his work in both commercial filmmaking and feature films. He studied graphic design before transitioning into directing, where he gained recognition for his innovative and cinematic approach to television commercials, working with notable brands like Nike and Guinness. His commercial success led to the opportunity to direct feature films, beginning with "Snow White and the Huntsman" in 2012, which received mixed reviews but grossed over $380 million worldwide. Sanders's vision for the film emphasized darker themes and emotional depth, distinguishing it from previous adaptations. He later directed "Ghost in the Shell" (2017), a live-action film based on the popular manga, though it faced criticism for its casting choices and performed poorly at the box office. Aside from his professional achievements, Sanders's personal life garnered attention due to his divorce from model Liberty Ross after his relationship with actress Kristen Stewart became public. Throughout his career, Sanders has focused on visually striking storytelling while navigating the complexities of both commercial and artistic filmmaking.
Subject Terms
Rupert Sanders
Director
- Born: January 15, 1971
- Birthplace: London, England
Contribution: Rupert Sanders is a British film and commercial director, best known for his debut film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) as well as the 2017 film Ghost in the Shell.
Background
Rupert Sanders was born in the Westminster borough of London, England, in 1971 to Thalia and Michael Sanders. His father worked as a surgeon, while his mother owned a store that specialized in dollhouses. Sanders studied graphic design at university; following graduation, he began work as a professional television-commercial director.
Sanders quickly built up an impressive résumé featuring a diverse range of commercial clients, including Absolut, Adidas, DirecTV, Guinness beer, Nike, and Xbox. In 2007, his commercials for Sears stores, Toyota cars, and the Sony PS3 video-game system won several awards. His high-budget cinematic commercial “Gravesite” (2007) for the video game Halo 3 won a Film Grand Prix award at the prestigious 2008 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, and his 2009 ad “The Life” for Halo 3: ODST won a Bronze Lion for film from the festival in 2010.
Career
With his successful commercial career going strong thanks to his innovative and movie-like approach to advertisements, Sanders began to attract attention in the movie business. Rather than accept whatever feature film he was offered, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and started meeting executives and looking at a steady stream of scripts. He paid particular attention to what projects the directors he respected were interested in.
While sifting through potential film projects, Sanders kept busy directing shorts and various other projects. He directed a short art piece in 2010 called Book of Eli—Passenger (2010), for a song from the film The Book of Eli (2010). He also directed the music video for “Spaces in Between” (2010), a song from the band How to Destroy Angels. At the time, his longest work to date was the twenty-minute short film D-Minus (2004). Set in 1983, the short stars Robert Patrick, famous for his role as the villain in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), as a junkie trying to con money from his elderly father.
Sanders also pitched some of his own film ideas. He filmed the short Black Hole (2010), based on the 2005 comic book series by Charles Burns, to have something to show film executives. The short is about teenagers who are mutated by a sexually transmitted disease.
After five years of searching for the right project and pitching films of his own, Sanders finally accepted a movie. Producer Joe Roth met with Sanders and offered him the opportunity to direct Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), a retelling of the classic German fairy tale. While the story had been told numerous times before on film, this version would feature state-of-the-art special effects and large-scale action scenes.
For their first project, most directors are not trusted with a $70 million budget, but Roth and investors had faith in Sanders based on a three-minute trailer he created for the film. Actor Kristen Stewart was cast as Snow White, and Charlize Theron played her evil stepmother. Principal photography began in mid-2011 in Sanders’s native England. While the original script for the film was slightly humorous, Sanders wanted to go for something more tonally dark.
Sanders believed that many big-budget blockbuster films are emotionally shallow, so he aspired for his Snow White to be richer in that respect. He wanted the film to focus on the original story’s themes of mortality and how humans cope with their fate. To ensure accuracy for the battle scenes, the filmmakers hired academic consultants from prominent British universities. Sanders chose to direct the battle scenes on location because he does not like the look of green-screen backgrounds.
The film was released in the United States on June 1, 2012, and received mixed reviews from critics. Many applauded the film’s dark tone and feminist themes, while others argued that it had poor pacing and a muddled script. It performed well in the box office, earning more than $380 million worldwide.
The next project that Sanders took on was a film, titled Ghost in the Shell (2017), inspired by the manga of the same name created by writer and illustrator Masamune Shirow. While an anime film based on aspects of the story had been made by director Mamoru Oshii in 1995, Sanders hoped to take the premise in a new direction with a live-action version. However, the film performed rather poorly at the box office, particularly in the United States. Many critics noted that the controversy surrounding the film's casting of white actor Scarlett Johansson in the lead role could have contributed to its more lackluster reception.
Impact
After years of highly successful, award-winning commercial work in England, Sanders successfully transitioned to feature films with Snow White and the Huntsman, a movie that grossed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. He managed to do so without compromising his visual aesthetics or belief in emotionally rich storytelling.
Personal Life
In the early 2000s, Sanders married model and actor Liberty Ross. They have a daughter, Skyla, and a son, Tennyson. Ross filed for divorce from Sanders in January 2013, several months after Us Weekly published photos of him kissing Snow White lead actor and Twilight star Kristen Stewart. The divorce was finalized in 2014.
Principal Works
D-Minus, 2004
Black Hole, 2010
Snow White and the Huntsman, 2012
Ghost in the Shell, 2017
Bibliography
Babb, Francesca. “Snow White & The Huntsman Director Rupert Sanders Is Living the Fairy Tale.” Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 1 June 2012. Web. 2 Aug. 2013.
D’Zurilla, Christie. “Rupert Sanders Apologizes for Kristen Stewart Hookup; Fans React.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2012. Web. 23 July 2013.
Maio, Kathi. “Beauty Fades, but Fairy Tales Never Die.” Fantasy & Science Fiction 123.3/4 (2012): 204–10. Print.
Patches, Matt. “How Snow White Director Rupert Sanders Mined the Internet for His Fantasy Epic.” Hollywood. Hollywood.com, 2 June 2012. Web. 23 July 2013.
Sanders, Rupert. “Interview: Snow White and the Huntsman Director Rupert Sanders Talks Dark Fairy Tales & Kristen Stewart’s Toughness.” Interview by Tara Aquino. Complex. Complex Media, 2 June 2012. Web. 23 July 2013.
Sanders, Rupert. “WonderCon 2012: Interview with Snow White and the Huntsman Director Rupert Sanders and the Action-Packed New Trailer.” Interview by Terri Schwartz. IFC. AMC Networks,19 Mar. 2012. Web. 23 July 2013.