Filmmaker Joel Schumacher, Director Of 'St. Elmo's Fire', 'The Lost Boys', Dead At 80
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Joel Schumacher, known for directing box office hits such as "St. Elmo's Fire" and "Batman & Robin", has died. He was 80.
Schumacher, who began his decades-long Hollywood career as a costume designer, died Monday in New York after a prolonged battle with cancer, a representative for the filmmaker said.
His directorial debut of "St. Elmo's Fire" in 1985 launched the careers of Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, and others.
He showed his genre-bending talents with "The Lost Boys", the 1987 horror-comedy that spawned a new brand of hybrid teen dramas dealing with the supernatural.
Schumacher later directed Julia Roberts in 1990's "Flatliners" and "Dying Young" in 1991.
The writer-director took over the Warner Bros. Batman film franchise from Tim Burton with "Batman Forever" (1995) and "Batman & Robin" (1997), the latter of which was panned by critics.
"I want to apologize to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that," he told Vice in a 2017 interview.
Schumacher also directed the thrillers "Tigerland" and "Phone Booth," as well as "The Phantom of the Opera."
