The director of “Reign of Fire” is Rob Bowman, a twenty-year veteran of television directing. He was part of the brain trust behind “The X-Files,” the hit television series, and in 1998, Bowman made the leap to feature film directing by helming the feature film version of the series.
“Right from the beginning, we wanted Rob Bowman,” says Birnbaum. “We’re huge ‘X-Files’ fans, and we knew for this movie that we needed the guy who made us want to believe.”
“Rob’s an extremely skilled director,” adds Barber. “The actors trust him, the crew trusts him, and the producers know they can count on him to deliver his vision.”
“One of the reasons we wanted Rob so badly was that, as he showed time and again on ‘The X-Files,’ he’s so adept at creating a level of suspense,” says producer Lili Fini Zanuck. “We all remember ‘Jaws’ – how those canisters popping up could sometimes be more frightening than the shark itself. It’s a rare gift for a director to know he can create tension without resorting to showing the beast popping out of the shadows every other minute, and Rob does it so well.”
“The most important thing that Rob brought is a template – from his work on ‘The X-Files’ – of extraordinary events set in a realistic tone. It’s fascinating to watch him get interesting yet realistic performances from all of the actors. When we talk about movies we like, we talk about movies where you care about the characters more than the special effects – ‘Jaws,’ ‘Alien.’ And Rob has brought that sensibility here.”
“I’ve got to say – Rob is one of the most dexterous directors I’ve worked with,” says Matthew McConaughey. “He’s absolutely confident about what he wants, what kind of shot he can get, and he knows the story and the tone well. But he’s also a big kid out there, loving his job, playing with his toys. It’s great to see that combination.”
