Derek Wayne Johnson

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Derek Wayne Johnson
DWJ SBIFF (cropped).jpg
Johnson at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2017
Born (1983-02-23) February 23, 1983 (age 38)
Carthage, Texas, U.S.
Alma materStephen F. Austin State University (BA)
OccupationDirector, screenwriter, producer
Notable work
  • John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs (2017)
  • 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic (aka Becoming Rocky: The Birth of a Classic) (2020)
  • STALLONE: Frank, That Is (2021)

Derek Wayne Johnson (born February 23, 1983) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.[1]

Early life and education[]

Born and raised in Carthage, Texas, Johnson began making short films at an early age, winning several awards while still in high school. Johnson directed his first feature film, Within Us, in his senior year of film school at Stephen F. Austin State University.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Film in 2006.[3]

Career[]

After college, Johnson tried his hand at acting, starring in independent feature films and appearing in small roles in theatrically released and made-for-TV movies. Deciding to forgo acting and focus solely on filmmaking, he directed three independent feature films in Texas and Louisiana, including Broken Blood and Scrape, before relocating to Hollywood.[4]

In 2017, Johnson directed and produced a documentary about Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen whose credits include Rocky and The Karate Kid.[5] John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs examines Avildsen's life, career and films and features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Ralph Macchio, Martin Scorsese, Talia Shire and Burt Reynolds, among others.[6] The documentary is an unofficial companion to the book The Films of John G. Avildsen: Rocky, The Karate Kid, and Other Underdogs written by Larry Powell and Tom Garrett.[7]

Sylvester Stallone hand-picked Johnson to direct and produce a documentary on the making of the original Rocky, titled 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic (aka Becoming Rocky: The Birth of a Classic). Originally intended to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Rocky in 2016, hence the title, production was put off for a couple of years due to certain delays. The documentary was released June 9, 2020 in the U.S. and Canada by Virgil Films and internationally by Branded Studios. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired the documentary to eventually air on their cable and streaming channel Epix.[8] The documentary features Sylvester Stallone narrating behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film.[9]

Johnson directed and produced STALLONE: Frank, That Is, a feature-length documentary about musician and actor Frank Stallone, brother of Sylvester Stallone, released January 19, 2021 by Branded Studios. The multi-award winning documentary features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Dee Williams, Duff McKagan, Joe Mantegna, and many others.[10]

Sylvester Stallone once again hand-picked Johnson to edit the upcoming 2021 documentary Keep Punching: The Present Meets the Past, directed by John Herzfeld. The documentary follows Stallone's journey in the editing room as he reworks his classic 80's hit Rocky IV into a new version titled Rocky vs. Drago: The Ultimate Director's Cut.

Johnson and producing partner Chris May recently formed two production companies in Hollywood, CA; Cinema 83 Entertainment, which focuses on feature films, and Cinema 83 Documentary Films which focuses on documentaries.

Personal life[]

Johnson cites his original VHS copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark as the reason he became a filmmaker, calling it "the holy grail" of his movie collection and the film he studied the most growing up.[11]

Johnson is a lifelong martial artist and 3rd Level Black Belt in the art of American Karate. In 2020, he was inducted into the AMAA Who's Who in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame alongside Chuck Norris, Benny Urquidez and other influential martial artists. He was also included in the 2020 Martial Arts Masters & Pioneers Biography Book, Vol 1 and received the 2020 American Martial Arts Alliance Legends Award.

References[]

  1. ^ Barlish, Becky. "Carthage native's documentary honors legend", The Panola Watchman, Carthage, TX, 1 August 2017. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Derek Wayne Johnson". Bill King. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  3. ^ Ordmandy, Ryan. "SFA film alum returns for Nacogdoches Film Festival". Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  4. ^ Goodrich, Robbie. "Underdog Comes Out on Top", Sawdust, Nacogdoches, TX, Winter 2017. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.
  5. ^ Kreps, Daniel. "John G. Avildsen, ‘Rocky,’ ‘The Karate Kid’ Director, Dead at 81", Rolling Stone, San Francisco, CA, 17 June 2017. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.
  6. ^ Farber, Stephen. "'John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs': Film Review|Santa Barbara 2017", The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles, CA, 2 February 2017. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.
  7. ^ Dagan, Carmel. "John G. Avildsen, Director of ‘Rocky,’ ‘Karate Kid’ Films, Dies at 81", Variety, Los Angeles, CA, 16 June 2017. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.
  8. ^ Lang, Brent."MGM Buying ’40 Years of Rocky’ to Air on Epix (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety, Los Angeles, CA, 13 November 2019. Retrieved on 18 November 2019.
  9. ^ Drown, Michelle. "John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs Director Derek Wayne Johnson", The Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara, CA, 26 January 2017. Retrieved on 16 February 2017.
  10. ^ Gonzalez, Bobby. "Spoken Dreams: Derek Wayne Johnson, Filmmaker", KTLA, Los Angeles, CA, 19 February 2018. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Bobby. "Spoken Dreams: Derek Wayne Johnson, Filmmaker", KTLA, Los Angeles, CA, 19 February 2018. Retrieved on 21 August 2018.

External links[]

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