Courtesy of Lucasfilm
Jamie Christopher, assistant director on Marvel films such as “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the entire Harry Potter series, died of heart complications on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 52.
During his nearly three-decade career, Christopher worked frequently with directors such as James Gunn and Rian Johnson, as well as Marvel Studio’s Kevin Feige.
“Jamie was a good friend and he loved making films,” Rian Johnson said in a statement. He first worked with Christopher on “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and later on “Knives Out”. “He loved his crew, loved his job, loved the process and loved the story. He truly was one of the greats and this is a painful loss for everyone who was fortunate enough to work with him.”
Christopher began his directing career in 1992 as third director on David Fincher’s 1992 film Alien 3. In 1997, he was second director on Luc Besson’s cult sci-fi classic The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Wilis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich in the lead roles, and two years later he joined Stephen Sommers as second director for The Mummy.
Soon after, Christopher moved into production on the first installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, where he served as first AD of the second unit. He reprized this role for the first five installments of the series until he became the first director of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, remaining in the role until the release of the eighth film in 2011.
He then worked on James Gunn’s 2014 “Guardians of the Galaxy” along with other Marvel films including “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, “Thor: The Dark World” and “Black Widow” and was ready to star working on “Fantastic Four.”
Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito of Marvel Studios said in a statement: “We are incredibly saddened by Jamie’s death. He has been part of the Marvel Studios team for over a decade and has been a calm presence behind the camera and a wonderful, supportive crew member on productions such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Widow and more Set. Jamie first joined Marvel Studios as AD on Thor: The Dark World and, due to his hard work and diligence, was promoted to executive producer on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the upcoming Fantastic Four. Jamie was a beloved member of our Marvel Studios family and we will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.”
Christopher is survived by his wife Carly and four children, Stella, Teddy, Phoebe and Killeon.