There’s no denying there’s a vein of nepotism running through Hollywood, with celebrated offspring following in their parent’s famous footsteps.
By now, you probably know that Angelina Jolie is Jon Voight’s daughter, Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez are Martin Sheen’s sons, and Kate Hudson is Goldie Hawn’s daughter. And as their last names sometimes suggest, they have worked hard to step out of their parents’ celebrated shadows.
With Duncan Jones at the helm of your M-Net Sunday night movie Warcraft, we decided to dig up a few lesser-known connections by focusing on directors with famous parents.
Duncan Jones
With his directorial debut Moon catching critics’ attention, it wasn’t long before fans figured out Duncan Jones was the son of David Robert Jones, better known as David Bowie. Duncan continued to impress with his second feature, the time-travelling sci-fi Source Code, marking him as a director to keep an eye on in the twenty-first century, just as Bowie was a musician to keep an eye on in the ‘70s.
Jason Reitman
Jason decided to follow more closely in his father’s footsteps, by stepping behind the camera like dear old dad. He had big shoes to fill, considering Ivan was at the helm of comedy classics such as Ghostbusters, Twins, and Kindergarten Cop. Jason has selected slightly more serious fare, impressing with the likes of his debut Thank You for Smoking, as well as Juno, Up in the Air, and Young Adult.
Sofia Coppola
When your father is the director of classics like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Dracula, the pressure is on. But Sofia has proved that she is more than up to the task with her work directing The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and The Bling Ring. She is also one of only four women ever to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars.
Ben Stiller
Jerry Stiller has had a prolific career as an actor, even making cameos in his son’s films. And that son is Ben Stiller. The latter followed in his father’s comedic footsteps, making a name for himself with zany comic roles and ridiculously good-lookingness. But Ben is an also accomplished director, tackling everything from coming-of-age drama in Reality Bites and epic drama in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to crazy comedies like The Cable Guy, Zoolander, and Tropic Thunder.
Watch Duncan Jones’ third directorial feature, video-game adaptation Warcraft, your Sunday night movie on 9 April at 20:05 on M-Net.
Video game movies not your thing? Catch the post-apocalyptic romance Z for Zachariah at 20:30 on M-Net Movies Premiere.
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