Paul William Scott Anderson was born on 4 March 1965, in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. He received his education at the University Of Warwick, where he became the youngest ever student to achieve a BA in Film & Television, before embarking on a career in the entertainment industry.
His first film, starring John Pertwee, Jude Law and Sadie Frost, Shopping, was heavily edited in the United States as a direct-to-video release, and was banned in some cinemas in the United Kingdom due to its content. A big break soon followed with the videogame adaptation of Mortal Kombat, starring Christopher Lambert, but declined to direct the sequels in favour of helming a follow-up to Blade Runner, Soldier. Various production problems delayed the start of filming for the project however, including the departure of Kurt Russell, which left Anderson open to direct the science-fiction horror effort, Event Horizon. The film quickly became a cult classic despite receiving mixed critical reviews, and positioned Anderson for several big releases to follow.
Soldier eventually followed the year after Event Horizon, followed by The Sight, but it was the Resident Evil series of films that came to define his professional and personal life. Released in 2004, the adaptation starred his future partner Mila Jovovich and was a success at the box office, leading to three other sequels, the latest of which is scheduled for release this year. A critical and box office flop came in the form of Aliens Vs Predator, the first meeting of the two linked franchises on screen.
Recent releases from the director include the reboot of Death Race, starring Jason Statham, and most recently, a return to science-fiction horror with Pandorum. Today, the news has broken courtesy of Deadline’s Mike Fleming that Anderson will be helming a proposed reboot of the popular pulp character, Buck Rogers, with the film being shot in 3D and penned by Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.
