Batman and Lost Boys director Joel Schumacher dies at 80

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The director is known for Batman Forever, The Lost Boys, and Flatliners

(Image credit: MAURIX / Contributor (Getty))

Joel Schumacher – the filmmaker best known for directing two Batman movies, Lost Boys, and numerous other movies – has died at the age of 80. The acclaimed director passed away "quietly" in New York City following a year-long battle with cancer, his publicist has confirmed (via Daily Mail).

Schumacher rose to fame in the '80s with his directorial debut The Incredible Shrinking Woman and subsequent work on D.C. Cab, St. Elmo's Fire, and The Lost Boys. He would later take the reigns on the Batman franchise, starting with 1995's Val Kilmer-starring Batman Forever, followed by 1997's Batman and Robin with George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He continued to enjoy a successful career into the 2000s with credits on Bad Company, Phone Booth, the 2004 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, and The Number 23 starring Jim Carrey.

Before he became a director, Schumacher was a costume designer and screenwriter through most of the 70s. 

While his body of work includes many beloved films, Schumacher was all too aware of popular opinion on the critically-panned Batman and Robin. In a 2017 interview with Vice, he took responsibility for disappointing some Batman fans. "I want to apologize to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that," he said. "I walked into it with my eyes open and what I really feel bad about is the crew... I feel like their work wasn't acknowledged like it could have been."

Schumacher's last work was on the critically acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards, with the director helming two episodes of the first season. 

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.