Joachim Rønning

Joachim Rønning (born 30 May 1972) is a Norwegian film director, producer, and writer best known for the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated Kon-Tiki and the Disney action-adventure films Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales starring Johnny Depp and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil starring Angelina Jolie. Rønning's films have grossed more than 1.3 billion dollars at the box office.^[1] Recently, Rønning directed Disney's Young Woman and the Sea starring Daisy Ridley.^[2]

Rønning grew up in Sandefjord, Norway, a small coastal town south of Oslo. At the age of 12, his parents bought their first home video camera. According to Rønning, "...it was a bulky affair, but it was love at first sight."^[3] He spent his teenage years making short films and shooting commercials for local businesses, often using homemade camera rigs strapped to skateboards. When asked what inspired him to become a filmmaker, Rønning said his father being a part of the local theater company immersed his young self with experience of sitting backstage and having views of the productions' inner workings.

In 1992, he attended Stockholms Filmskola in Sweden, graduating in 1994.^[4]

In 2006, Rønning and Espen Sandberg directed their feature film debut, Bandidas,^[5] starring Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek, and written and produced by French filmmaker Luc Besson.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2008, Rønning's first Norwegian film, Max Manus: Man of War,^[6] premiered.^[7] Max Manus was the highest-grossing Norwegian movie of all time, at over 1.2 million tickets sold in Norway.^[8] The film's North American premiere was at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.^[9]

Kon-Tiki premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012.^{[citation needed]} In 2013, Kon-Tiki was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in the best foreign language category.^[10] This is the first Norwegian film to be nominated for the awards.^{[citation needed]}

The success of Kon-Tiki led to Rønning and Sandberg directing a film in the Pirates of the Caribbean^[11] franchise for Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney. Filmed on location in Australia, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales went on to earn close to US$800 million at the box office worldwide.^[12][13]

Rønning's next movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer for Disney, premiered in the fall of 2019 to become the third highest October release of all time and eventually grossing half a billion dollars worldwide.^[14][15]

His next feature was Young Woman and The Sea, starring Daisy Ridley, which tells the story of Gertrude Ederle's historic swim across the English Channel.^[16] The production of the movie was challenging due to Rønning's desire to shoot everything in open water.^[17] The film premiered in May 2024 to critical acclaim.^[18][19]

In January 2023, Rønning took the helm of the next chapter in the Tron franchise for Disney.^[20] The film, titled Tron: Ares, will star Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges, Jodi Turner-Smith, and Evan Peters.^[21] Tron: Ares is slated for release in 2025.^[22]

Rønning is involved in many projects including Origin for Paramount Studios and Bruckheimer.^[23] Rønning is also set to direct an adaptation of the last Michael Crichton novel, Micro.^[24] The KISS biopic, Shout It Out Loud, named from one of the band's songs, will be directed and produced by Rønning.^[25] McG is in talks to replace him as director.^[26]

Rønning will also be directing Here Be Monsters, a sci-fi thriller that he co-wrote with his brother Andreas Rønning.^[27]

Rønning married philanthropist Amanda Hearst in 2019.^[28]

• Joachim Rønning at IMDb