Joe Dante Net Worth

Joe Dante's Quotes

• [in "Halliwell's Filmgoers and Video Viewers Companion", on producing movie trailers for Roger Corman] We did all kinds of things in trailers to help sell films. We had a famous exploding helicopter shot from one of those Filipino productions that we had cut in every time a trailer was too dull because that was always exciting.
• [on Gremlins (1984)] What I like in movies especially are movies that do things that you can't do in real life and show you things that you can't see by walking out in the street. And there have been a lot of great movies that show you real life as it is lived and should be lived. But my favorite kind of movies are the ones that show you things that you can't see anywhere but in the movies. And this picture? Believe me, you will never see this stuff except in the movies.
• [on the late Elisabeth Brooks] The Howling (1981) was her first major hit movie. Elisabeth brought to the role of Marsha Quist exactly what was needed. She was a beautiful and exotic woman and we will miss her.
• A lot of people who are in the movie business don't really know much about movies, and they certainly don't know movie history. You have to even find a code when you're talking to these people - you can't use the references that you would use when talking to somebody who knows movie history. When you go in to pitch something, it depends what you invoke. You can't invoke anything really before 1980 with these people because they don't know what you're talking about. It's limiting. They get annoyed. They get offended that you are somehow trying to expose the fact that they don't know things, and make them feel inadequate. Which is of course not the point, or why you do it.

Interesting Facts about Joe Dante

1. Former Roger Corman protégé. Also helped by Steven Spielberg.
2. Directors he has cited as his principal influences include Chuck Jones, Frank Tashlin, James Whale, Roger Corman and Jean Cocteau.
3. He was interested in directing Batman (1989), which went to Tim Burton.
4. He was scheduled to direct a De zomer van de witte haai (1975) parody (under the National Lampoon banner) in the early 1980s called "Jaws 3 People 0". Universal Pictures dropped this concept in favor of a straight film (which became the critical and financial flop Jaws 3-D (1983)).
5. He was one of the directors considered for Jurassic Park (1993), which went to Steven Spielberg.
6. His favorite films are Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Spionnage in het spel (1942), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Touch of Evil (1958) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). He often cites The Innocents (1961) as his favorite horror film, and one of the scariest he has ever seen.
7. Is a major fan of 1950s science fiction films, and often contains references to them in his movies. Since he is considered an authority on the subject, he is also frequently interviewed about them for documentaries, television specials, and DVD special features.
8. He directed Robert Picardo in ten films: The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993), The Second Civil War (1997), Small Soldiers (1998) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), He also directed Picardo in five television episodes: Amazing Stories: Boo! (1986), Rebel Highway: Runaway Daughters (1994), Masters of Horror: Homecoming (2005), CSI: NY: Boo (2007) and Hawaii Five-0: Olelo Pa'a (2013).
9. He has cast Dick Miller in every film that he has ever directed: Hollywood Boulevard (1976), Piranha (1978), Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), The Howling (1981), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) (though Miller's scene was deleted), The 'Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993), The Second Civil War (1997), Small Soldiers (1998), The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (1998), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Trapped Ashes (2006), The Hole (2009) and Burying the Ex (2014). He also directed Miller in four television episodes: Police Squad!: Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh) (1982), Amazing Stories: The Greibble (1986), Eerie, Indiana: The Losers (1991) and Rebel Highway: Runaway Daughters (1994).
10. He directed Belinda Balaski in ten films: Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993), The Second Civil War (1997), Small Soldiers (1998), and The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (1998). He also directed Balaski in three television episodes: Eerie, Indiana: Foreverware (1991), Eerie, Indiana: The Hole in the Head Gang (1992) and Rebel Highway: Runaway Daughters (1994).
11. He directed Kevin McCarthy in seven films: Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Innerspace (1987), Matinee (1993), The Second Civil War (1997) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).
12. He directed William Schallert in five films: Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Gremlins (1984), Innerspace (1987), Matinee (1993), The Second Civil War (1997).
13. After the unexpected success of the American release of Gojira ni-sen mireniamu (1999), he and the writer for the dub tried putting together a script for an American sequel set in Hawaii featuring Christopher Lee, Bruce Campbell and Leonard Nimoy, with the special effects being done by Toho. However, the studio's head was changed during the script writing process, and he wasn't interested in movies that cost the required budget for the film ($20 Million). The plot of the film would have had Godzilla rampaging his way through the Hawaiian Islands during a scientific conference in Honolulu, gradually making his way to Mauna Loa. However, the military manages to knock Godzilla out during this rampage (originally he was supposed to die, but Toho requested that be changed), only to discover Godzilla's target: a lava bat kaiju dubbed Miba resting in the volcano. Godzilla is then revived to do battle with him.
14. He was John Carpenter's choice to direct Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).
15. He tried creating a bio-film about Chuck Jones entitled "Termite Terrace", but the executives at Warner Bros weren't interested in a drama about animators and were pushing to relaunch the characters in a more modern fashion with Space Jam (1996).
16. He was asked to direct Problem Child (1990). He read the script and liked it, but he turned it down as he was about to work on Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
17. As of 2015, he is a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.
18. He was considered to direct Jurassic Park (1993) for Columbia Pictures.
19. He was considered to direct The Mummy (1999) with a script co-written by John Sayles. His version would have cast Daniel Day-Lewis as the mummy and was set in contemporary times and focused on reincarnation with elements of a love story. It came close to being made with some elements, like the flesh-eating scarabs, making it to the final product. However, at that point, the studio wanted a film with a budget of $15 million and rejected Dante's version.
20. He was originally set to direct The 6th Day (2000).