Dutch filmmaker, writer and producer (born 1965)
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Born (1965-07-26 ) 26 July 1965 (age 59) Occupation(s) Director, producer, writer Years active 1983–present
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. (Dutch pronunciation: [mɑˈtɛis fɑn ˈɦɛinɪŋə(n)] ;[ a] born 26 July 1965) is a Dutch director, writer and producer best known for directing The Thing (2011).
Career
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. began directing at an early age with promotional trailers for Toyota , Peugeot , Renault , Stella Artois , Pepsi , and Bud Light .[ 2]
In 1996, van Heijningen made his film directing debut with the Dutch short-film thriller Red Rain .[ 3] In 2011, he directed The Thing , a prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing .[ 4] Van Heijningen was due to direct Army of the Dead ,[ 5] but the project ended up being directed by Zack Snyder after lingering in development hell for a number of years.
In 2020, van Heijningen directed his second feature The Forgotten Battle , a Netflix original war film depicting the Battle of the Scheldt . Netflix's first ever original Dutch film.
Filmography
Director
Year
Title
Director
Writer
Producer
1996
Red Rain (short film)
Yes
Yes
Yes
2011
The Thing
Yes
No
No
2020
The Forgotten Battle
Yes
Yes
No
2024
De Joodse Raad (miniseries)
Yes
No
Yes
Producer
Dada (1994)
Witness (1994)
En Route (1994)
Other credits
Personal life
He is the son of Dutch film producer Matthijs van Heijningen Sr. [ 6]
Notes
^ In isolation, van is pronounced [vɑn] .
References
External links