John Hyams

John Hyams
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, cinematographer
Years active1986–present

John Hyams is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, best known for his involvement in the Universal Soldier series, for which he has directed two installments. Hyams is the son of director Peter Hyams.

Career

Hyams graduated from Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing Arts, becoming a noted painter and sculptor exhibiting and selling work in New York and Los Angeles.[1] He became known in Hollywood in 1997 after writing, producing, and directing the critically acclaimed One Dog Day. The film debuted at the Taos Talking Picture Film Festival. After that, Hyams directed several documentaries, most notably The Smashing Machine, which follows the life of fighter Mark Kerr. Hyams also directed several episodes of ABC Television's NYPD Blue.

In 2009, Hyams took over the Universal Soldier franchise, directing the film Regeneration, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. It was shot mostly in Bulgaria on a budget of $9 million.[2] Then, in 2012, he wrote and produced a sequel called Day of Reckoning,[3] which also featured Van Damme and Lundgren. It was shot in 3D with a budget of $8 million.

Over the course of 2014 and 2015, Hyams directed several episodes of the horror series Z Nation, including the pilot. Hyams has also directed for numerous other TV series, including Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chucky, and acted as showrunner for the Z Nation spin-off Black Summer. In 2018 he returned to feature work with the independent comedy-drama All Square, starring Michael Kelly. In 2020 he directed the thriller Alone, and in 2022 the Kevin Williamson-scripted, Blumhouse-produced horror film Sick.

Filmography

Films

Title Year Credited as Notes
Director Producer Writer
One Dog Day 1997 Yes Yes Yes
The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr 2002 Yes Co- No Documentary film, also editor
Fight Day 2003 Yes No No Featurette, also editor
Rank 2006 Yes Yes No Documentary film, also editor
Cowtown: Bull Riding Sessions 2006 Yes Yes No Featurette
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt 2009 No Associate No
Universal Soldier: Regeneration 2009 Yes No No Also editor
The Razzle Dazzle 2009 Yes Co- No Short film
The Ignorant Bliss of Sun and Moon 2010 Yes No No Short film, also editor, cinematographer and sound editor
Dragon Eyes 2012 Yes No No
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning 2012 Yes No Yes Also editor
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4 2013 No Yes No Featurette
Skin Trade 2014 No No No Uncredited script revisions
All Square 2018 Yes No No
Alone 2020 Yes No No Also editor
Sick 2022 Yes No No

Television

The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

Title Year Credited as Network Notes
Creator Director Producer Writer Executive
producer
NYPD Blue 2003–05 No Yes (4) Yes No No ABC Producer (season 12)
Blind Justice 2005 No Yes (1) No No No
Z Nation 2014–17 No Yes (9) Co- Yes (5) Co- Syfy Co-producer (season 1: 8 episodes)
Co-executive producer (season 2: 13 episodes)
The Originals 2016–17 No Yes (3) No No No The CW
12 Deadly Days 2016 No Yes (1) No No No YouTube Red Anthology series
Chicago P.D. 2017–19 No Yes (4) No No No NBC
Chicago Fire 2017 No Yes (1) No No No
Legacies 2019 No Yes (1) No No No The CW
Black Summer 2019–2021 Yes Yes (9) No Yes (5) Yes Netflix Also showrunner
Roswell, New Mexico 2022 No Yes (1) No No No The CW
Chucky 2022–23 No Yes (3) No No No Syfy
USA Network
Teacup 2024 No Yes (2) No No No Peacock

References

  1. ^ "John Hyams". imdb. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  2. ^ Daniels, Hunter (December 7, 2012). "Director John Hyams Talks UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING, Plus the Top 11 Things to Know About Hyams and His Film". collider.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  3. ^ Antosca, Nick. "Masterpiece Theatre: Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning". Paris Review. Retrieved March 24, 2013.