Derek Wayne Johnson is an award-winning director, writer, and producer. In 2017, Johnson directed and produced “John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs,” a documentary about Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen, whose credits include “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid.” The documentary features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Ralph Macchio, Martin Scorsese, Burt Reynolds, Talia Shire and many more. Alongside his mentor John Avildsen and the cast and crew of “The Karate Kid,” Johnson and his team received a Commendation by the City of Los Angeles for their documentary and its association with “The Karate Kid” legacy. Sylvester Stallone handpicked Johnson to direct and produce “40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic”, a documentary featuring Stallone narrating behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the original film. Johnson and Stallone’s documentary was acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and will air on Epix, the cable and streaming channel it co-owns. Johnson recently released “STALLONE: Frank, That Is”, a documentary about Grammy and Golden Globe nominated singer, musician and actor Frank Stallone, brother of Sylvester. The documentary features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Geraldo Rivera, Joe Mantegna, John Oates, Richie Sambora, Duff McKagan and more. Now, Derek has a new film, “Blood Streams,” a drama/thriller starring Han Soto, Brad Maule, Hollin Haley and Yuji Okumoto, set for release in 2022.
You and your producing partner Chris May recently formed two new production companies in Hollywood, CA; Cinema 83 Entertainment, which focuses on feature films and Cinema 83 Documentary Films which focuses on documentaries. What is your vision for these companies?
Our vision at Cinema 83 is to have a balance of creative output between narrative feature films and documentaries. Perhaps we make a couple of features then dive back into a documentary, then back to features and so on. Of course, while we are working on one medium, say a feature for example, it would be nice to have our names on another medium, like a documentary, simultaneously. That way we can help other filmmakers tell their stories while we are working on something else completely separate. Cinema 83 is committed to telling captivating stories designed to inspire, educate and entertain the world.
Why is this partnership timely?
Chris May and I have been friends for almost 20 years and have made several films together dating back to film school. With no end in sight, we felt it was time to merge as independent producing partners and create Cinema 83. In doing so, we realized the benefit of having two divisions so that we can shift back and forth between the two mediums.
Tell us about your new film, “Blood Streams.” What excites you the most about this project?
“Blood Streams” is exciting for me because it marks my return to directing narrative feature films after several years of focusing on documentaries. Feature films are my first passion and what I started out directing, so it is nice to be back on set with actors telling a fictional story. Some of those actors include Han Soto (Cobra Kai), Brad Maule (General Hospital), Hollin Haley (Into the Valli), and Yuji Okumoto (The Karate Kid Part II/Cobra Kai).
We have something special with this film that I can’t really define at the moment, as I am in the beginning stages of post-production, but the film is coming together nicely and the vision in my head has certainly translated to the screen due to a wonderful cast and crew.
Is there synergy between your films?
This film was made by a tight-knit group of filmmakers, many of which I have worked with for years, and some of which I had the pleasure of working with for the first time. Audiences of all demographics will enjoy “Blood Streams” because it was done with so much passion and enthusiasm by this group, offering up something different that audiences will find refreshing.
Share a monumental time of your career.
I owe a lot of my career milestones to a lot of people, but one of the monumental times of my career has been working with Sylvester Stallone on four different documentaries. Sly has really made an impact on my life and career, and I am forever grateful to him for choosing me for certain projects.
What can we expect to see from your film companies as we approach the Fall?
As we approach the fall, Cinema 83 is focusing on post-production on “Blood Streams” while developing our upcoming feature films, which we plan to start shooting in 2022, if not sooner.
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