Chris
Key Insights
- Cool Britannia Era: The mid-nineties saw a resurgence of British influence in American pop culture.
- Danny Boyle’s Impact: Danny Boyle emerged as a significant director during this time, known for his unique films.
- Ewan McGregor Collaboration: Boyle and McGregor’s partnership began with Shallow Grave but faced challenges later on.
- Recent Projects: Boyle is currently working on the sequel trilogy to 28 Days Later.
Does anyone remember the Cool Britannia moment of the mid-nineties? A lot of you reading this may be too young to remember, but there was a time from about 1994–1998 when, arguably, American pop culture experienced a second British Invasion. The first, of course, was in the sixties following The Beatles appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, but the second was pretty impactful too, with it led by some of the best Britpop bands of the era, including Oasis and Blur. Yet films also experienced a Cool Britannia era, as young British actors began to dominate screens, and movies from the UK started to catch on in a big way.
Of all the directors to emerge from that era, none has had the staying power of Danny Boyle. When he made his first film, Shallow Grave, in 1993, he was already a veteran TV director, having plied his trade for years, only making his film debut as he neared forty. Shallow Grave also marked Ewan McGregor’s major film debut, and throughout the decade the two seemed destined to be one of the great filmmaker/actor duos, with Trainspotting among the most iconic films of that generation (although their follow-up, A Life Less Ordinary, was a disaster). Yet things didn’t work out that way, as the relationship frayed when Boyle cast Leonardo DiCaprio instead of McGregor in his film adaptation of Alex Garland’s The Beach. The movie was not a critical success and only did mediocre business, and many thought Boyle’s time as a star director was over.
Yet he bounced back with 28 Days Later, which kicked off a new wave of zombie media that’s still going to this day, and would focus on making highly unique movies over the next twenty years, which would run the gamut from science fiction (the underrated Sunshine) to comedy (Yesterday) to prestige fare (Steve Jobs), with even a family movie (Millions) thrown in for good measure. He would eventually nab a Best Director Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, and would even finally reunite with Ewan McGregor for a Trainspotting sequel.
Most recently, Boyle’s been focused on an epic follow-up to 28 Days Later, his sequel trilogy 28 Years Later. The first of the three movies came out this summer and was a solid hit, while the sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (which he didn’t direct) comes out this week. He’s currently filming a movie about Rupert Murdoch called Ink, but is poised to direct the final 28 Years Later movie sometime this year. Looking back at his filmography, we want to know which of his movies you think is the best. Take the poll below and let us know!
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