, the guest on this episode of ’s podcast, was behind some of the most beloved and successful family films of all time. Among others, he wrote 1984’s and 1985’s , and he directed 1990’s and 1992’s — both classics — as well as 1993’s and 2001’s and 2002’s . Which makes it all the more surprising and interesting that now, at the age of 66, he has produced — with , his daughter and partner in Maiden Voyage Productions, an incubator for young filmmakers — ’ terrifying new horror film , which stars , and , and which Focus will release on Christmas Day.
Over the course of a conversation at the L.A. offices of , Columbus reflected on how a kid from a blue-collar family in Ohio wound up working, in his mid-twenties, for .
He revealed how a disastrous meeting with led him to quit as director of — and to a film that is now considered an even greater Christmas classic, . He discussed how, a decade after that film became the highest-grossing comedic film of all time, his stock had fallen, and he had to convince Warner Bros. and to hire him to helm the films, the three principal leads of which he then cast.
And he explained why, after the first two films, he began to focus more on producing, and ultimately on championing young up-and-coming filmmakers like Eggers, on whose earlier films, 2015’s and 2019’s , he served as an executive producer. You can listen to the episode via the player above or on any podcast platform. After you do so, please leave us a ra.
