Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English film and stage director, producer and screenwriter. In theatre, he is known for his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1994), Oliver! (1994), Company (1995), and Gypsy (2003). He directed an original West End stage musical for the first time with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013).
For directing the play The Ferryman, Mendes was awarded the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2019.
James Cameron Backs New UK Film Studio As Crucial Marlow Planning Vote Approaches
deadline.comJames Cameron has backed a new UK film studio and said it could act as a base for his technology training center, but the £750M ($927M) Marlow Film Studios still requires a planning greenlight and is proving controversial in its local area.
According to the Financial Times, the triple Oscar-winner has written to Buckinghamshire Council in support of the plans in the past few weeks and said it could be a potential UK and European base and training centre for Lightstorm3D, a company Cameron has set up to develop tools and technology for movies.
Cameron said the 22.5% of global box office the UK delivered in 2023 will “grow as a result” of Marlow, which is in Buckinghamshire, South East England. “But embracing that opportunity necessitates support and boldness in thinking,” the FT reported Cameron wrote. “The next iteration of screen storytelling requires a purpose-built working space of exceptional quality, and trained professionals.” Cameron, whose back catalog includes Titanic and Avatar, has been a major advocate for improved movie tech throughout his career.
He joins Sam Mendes and a wealth of other high-profile Marlow backers. The news comes ahead of a crucial planning permission vote by local councillors expected on the site later this month.
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