Movie reviews, production notes, and more! - "Bad Boys II"

Movie : Bad Boys II

Notes provided by Columbia Pictures SYNOPSIS The boys are back and badder than ever. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith reunite with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay for another exhilarating and high-intensity action adventure in Bad Boys II. The danger quotient is heightened and so are the laughs in this new installment as Miami narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) become part of a high-tech task force assigned to stem the flood of designer ecstasy into Miami. They unwittingly uncover a deadly conspiracy involving a ruthless drug lord, played by Jordi Mollà, who is determined to expand his empire and take control of the city's burgeoning narcotics trade, killing anyone who stands in his way. To make matters worse, Marcus' beautiful sister Syd (Gabrielle Union), an undercover DEA agent, gets caught in the crossfire, forcing our heroes to the edge of the law. The assignment takes on further complications when romantic sparks start to fly between Mike and Syd, driving her overly protective brother completely around the bend. But Marcus and Mike must overcome their differences to bring down Tapia. And when Syd's cover is jeopardized, it's up to the Bad Boys to rescue her. Columbia Pictures Presents A Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Production A Michael Bay Film Bad Boys II starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The film co-stars Jordi Mollà, Gabrielle Union, Peter Stormare, Theresa Randle and Joe Pantoliano. Bad Boys II is directed by Michael Bay. The screenplay is by Ron Shelton and Jerry Stahl. The story is by Marianne Wibberley & Cormac Wibberley and Ron Shelton. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman and Barry Waldman. The director of photography is Amir Mokri. The production designer is Dominic Watkins. The film is edited by Mark Goldblatt, A.C.E., Thomas A. Muldoon and Roger Barton. The special visual effects are by Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. The costume designers are Deborah L. Scott and Carol Ramsey. The music is by Trevor Rabin. The music supervision is by Kathy Nelson and Bob Badami. Bad Boys II has been rated R for Strong Violence and Action, Pervasive Language, Sexuality and Drug Content. Credits not contractual THE RIGHT CHEMISTRY "I haven't had this much fun since the original Bad Boys," says Martin Lawrence, who returns as the disgruntled Marcus Burnett in Bad Boys II. "Working with Will and Jerry and Michael it just felt right." It's taken eight years to reunite the team of producer Jerry Bruckheimer with director Michael Bay and stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, who made history with Columbia Pictures' highest grossing and most profitable film of 1995 Bad Boys. In addition to providing a sensational launching pad for the film careers of Bay, Lawrence and Smith, Bad Boys has remained a popular movie on video, DVD and cable over the years. In the interim, the services of the key players has been in such demand that a planned sequel seemed to be on permanent hold. Bruckheimer credits Columbia Pictures' Chairman Amy Pascal's persistence with finally bringing all the elements together for Bad Boys II. "Amy really put pedal to the metal on this one," he says. "She doggedly kept the development process moving forward so that when we were finally able to find a time when Martin, Will and Michael were all available, we could jump on it." Back in 1995, Lawrence and Smith were major TV stars with limited film experience and Bay was one of the top commercial directors in the country, looking to make the leap into motion pictures. Bruckheimer and his late partner, Don Simpson thought Bay was just the director for their new project Bad Boys, in which they planned to pair Lawrence and Smith. "Michael had shot a terrific video for our film Days of Thunder," says Bruckheimer. "Martin was on a roll with a hit television series and a successful concert tour, and Will, who was loved as 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' impressed us with his charisma. He was smart and he had an impressive will to win. We saw immediately that they would make a formidable duo, capable of combining bold action and hilarious humor. Michael delivered an amazing movie that captivated audiences. Over the years, we've all been asked when we were going to put them together again. The level of expectation has been so high that we knew we had to amp things up on this one." "We all came of age on Bad Boys," says Bay of his debut. "Don and Jerry taught me a great deal and my partnership with Jerry has continued to evolve. I also learned a lot by experimenting with Martin and Will." "There were a lot of 'firsts' on Bad Boys," says Smith. "Martin and I were at the top of our TV game, but the idea of two black dudes headlining a major studio movie aimed at a general audience was pretty much a new concept." "It's funny because the question of race never occurred to us," says Bruckheimer. "We were just looking for fresh break-out talent that was compatible on screen. Martin and Will complemented each other with their different approaches to humor. What they had in common was an ambition and energy as well as a genuine desire to please the audience, whatever it takes. Their contributions on both films have been invaluable." "We did a lot of improvisation on the first movie," says Bay. 'We really didn't have much of a script to begin with, and the budget was so low that we didn't have much time for rehearsal. But on this one, we spent a lot more time rehearsing and coming up with new ideas before we got to the set." At the beginning of Bad Boys II, Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) is coping with the normal pressures of family life: His teenage kids, a mortgage and concerns about his own future, worries that are fueled by the reckless antics of his longtime partner Mike Lowrey (Smith), who never seems to grow up or settle down. "Marcus is just not happy professionally," says Lawrence. "He'd rather be doing something a little more serene. It's not that he doesn't have respect or even love for his partner, but he wants Mike to understand that as you mature, you want to be around to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Marcus wants to spend more time with his family and be the kind of husband and father his family deserves, but Mike constantly puts them into dangerous situations, which makes him angry. And then he realizes anger is completely destructive to his life. It's a vicious circle, so Marcus considers counseling to deal with it." "The new story picks up our characters eight years down the road," adds Smith. "Both Marcus and Mike's careers have advanced, our lives have advanced as well, except that my character is still a playboy. Marcus is tired of all the running, jumping and shooting on the job, while Mike is still into it, clinging to his 20s, partying, playing with lots of women, guns, getting into fights. As a result, the two of them are growing further and further apart." When Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) also adopts Marcus' new philosophy on life, the friction increases. "Both the Captain and Marcus get into this anger management thing," Smith says. "They try to stay focused and keep it together, which is rough for Mike because his behavior seems outside the norm." The situation becomes even more combustible with the appearance of Marcus' younger sister Syd (Gabrielle Union). "Marcus is overprotective of Syd," Lawrence explains, "especially when it comes to Mike. When he discovers Mike and his sister have been dating and he sees them flirting, it's difficult for him to take, because he knows what a player Mike is." Marcus not only learns that his sister has been seeing Mike behind his back, but that she's working as an undercover operative for the D.E.A., heightening his concerns for her safety. "The realization hits him right between the eyes during a big fight and chase scene," says Lawrence. "Even though it's a serious moment, it turns comedic. One of the best things about the Bad Boys films is that comedy happens when you least expect it." "What makes something funny is sometimes undefinable," muses Bay. "With Martin and Will, it's about timing. The comedy emerges from the way they talk, their cadence, and if you cut into it incorrectly, it's suddenly not funny anymore. It all comes down to the way they play off each other, the way they deliver the joke. And with Martin, especially, so much of his comedic genius is in those incredible facial expressions." During shooting, Bay and his actors would frequently get together on their Sundays off to work on the tempo of their dialogue and blocking. Bay videotaped the sessions and then transcribed any newly improvised lines into the script and distributed them to the cast the next day. The improvisations, he said, brought out comedy in non-comedic moments and helped unearth new quirks in the characters. "In the first Bad Boys, I tried to take an old, tired buddy cop story and make it feel fresh through my visuals and cutting style, and by using the great chemistry between Martin and Will. But in the end, it was the chemistry that took the movie to new heights." As Bruckheimer has learned from the countless hit motion pictures he's produced, "when you put one gifted performer with another, both excel. And if you're lucky and they happen to like and respect each other, as Will and Martin do, a great camaraderie develops. It was amazing to watch them in rehearsals. They would actually come up with ideas for each other. There was never a selfish moment between them." In Bad Boys II, Bay was striving for a different tone than the original. "The first movie was more sensational," says Bay. "I tried to make this one a little edgier and more real. In the same way that I surrounded Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in The Rock with real Navy S.E.A.L.s, I surrounded Will and Martin with real cops and it made a huge difference." Most of the T.N.T. [Tactical Narcotics Team] squad portrayed in the film is comprised of actual members of the Miami-Dade Police Force. The officers, along with their undercover associates (who could not be filmed for obvious reasons), also assisted in training the actors. Harry Humphries, who Bruckheimer and Bay met while filming The Rock, acted as a supervising technical advisor on Bad Boys II, while Lt. William Erfurth, a former commanding officer of Miami-Dade's T.N.T. unit, was invaluable both to the screenwriters and the performers, assisting in every facet of production. Erfurth not only contributed his expertise in terms of dialogue and procedural responses, he coordinated the schedules of his best T.N.T. personnel, so that the filmmakers could utilize the real-life officers in roles as part of Marcus and Mike's highly trained unit. "Bill Erfurth has a sterling reputation within the Miami-Dade police force and beyond," says Bruckheimer. "In doing our research, we found that arrests during his tenure with T.N.T. skyrocketed, as did convictions. He and Harry Humphries made sure that we kept as close to reality as possible when it came to using the S.W.A.T. and T.N.T. teams. If we tried to veer too far off course, they'd rein us back in. So anytime you see someone in uniform in this movie, chances are they're an officer in one of the city or county police departments." During pre-production, art and life converged. Donning bulletproof vests, Bruckheimer and Bay spent the evening on patrol with Lt. Erfurth. While on a police department's "Ride Along" program, Bay actually assisted in the arrest of a wanted felon by pointing out a seemingly innocuous passerby who fit the description of a man the police were attempting to locate. They now refer to him as 'Captain Bay.' Humphries and Erfurth together devised a brief but intense training program for Lawrence, Smith and their co-stars Yul Vázquez, Jason Manuel Olazábal and Gabrielle Union. Lawrence and Smith spent the first day with a select group of weapons specialists who couldn't help but slip in a few digs about how the duo handled their weapons in the first film. "Martin and Will took the ribbing in stride," laughs Erfurth. "They were very good sports. This time we made sure they knew how to properly handle a weapon. It's a simple matter of muscle memory tactics: drawing the gun, holstering it, becoming comfortable with the thumb break and the gun itself, how it feels in your hand. We taught them reloading techniques and chambering a round into the pipe, loading the gun, so that it becomes routine and normal from muscle memory. It's all about repetition so that they can become comfortable with a weapon and aren't afraid of it or clumsy. What you learn in training should become second nature when you're in a highly stressful situation. You shouldn't even have to think because everything should automatically come through muscle memory." Members of T.N.T. and S.W.A.T. spend time on the range with a variety of weapons, practicing tactics, entries and vehicle assaults on a monthly and even bi-weekly basis to become completely comfortable with the job. Training is key. In keeping with this philosophy, the actors selected a gun that felt the most comfortable to handle. Each actor used this same weapon from training exercises throughout filming. Reprising his role as Captain Howard is veteran actor Joe Pantoliano, who recently played the volatile Ralphie on "The Sopranos." In discussing his character's progression since the first film, Pantoliano notes, "Captain Howard is trying desperately to change his methodology. He has embraced the softer, cuddlier side of life and he encourages Marcus to do the same. I particularly enjoy the fun the writers had in spoofing this current trend toward self actualization." He also sings the praises of his director and producer. "They were really out to make an even better movie this time around," says Pantoliano. "They were incredibly collaborative and let me add ideas like the Buddhist sensibility, taking off my shoes, hanging crystals and lighting incense to give Captain Howard's metamorphosis a physical life. I just thought it would be interesting. And they agreed." Union portrays the beautiful D.E.A. agent, Syd Burnett. When the first Bad Boys was released, she was a college coed. "I thought the shot of Will running down the street with his shirt open, bare-chested, was quite nice," she says with a wink. "It was the first time people saw him as a sex symbol." Smith also remembers the effect that scene had. "The first time I ever experienced women reacting to me that way, was when I was sitting in the back of a theatre listening to the audience and I was stunned when I heard a girl saying, 'Um hmm, honey -- You go, Will -- Go ahead, run!' It was weird because I was always the goofy, comedian. Michael Bay made me sexy," he laughs. When Syd and Mike begin dating, they develop more than a casual relationship. Mike realizes he can't fool around with this particular girl and perhaps he is finally ready to settle down. "Marcus thinks Syd works behind a desk at the D.A.'s office, and is just vacationing in Miami," explains Union. "But as an undercover agent with the D.E.A., she's discovered this ring of ecstasy smugglers. She's trying to earn her stripes but gets in way over her head." "I liked Gabrielle's sharp energy," Bay says. "You can tell that she's very well educated, has smarts, and you believe she's a rising D.E.A. agent." As in real life, the jurisdictions of various law enforcement agencies in the film frequently overlap with one another during the criminal investigation. Part of the reason is that they don't or cannot coordinate their efforts, according to Bruckheimer. "Sometimes they inadvertently bump into each other, and that's what happens with Syd, who has been working on a case out of New York for quite a while. Then her investigation penetrates a drug ring in Miami at about the same time Mike and Marcus are sniffing around that particular group of criminals. The circumstances are rather unexpected and erratic when they bump into each other." Associate producer Don Ferrarone, (a former chief inspector with the U.S. Marshal's service and D.E.A. division chief overseeing the U.S./Mexico border), provided research from his long-standing investigations of various cartels that use the Miami area as an import/export hub for their trade. Despite earnest efforts by both local and federal government agencies to stem the flow of designer drugs, it continues to be a widespread problem in every major city around the country. Although Bad Boys II is fiction, many of the circumstances detailed in the script, even some of the funnier moments, are inspired by stories from actual case files. In Bad Boys II, Tapia, played by Jordi Mollà, runs the biggest cartel on the east coast. Until Mollà appeared opposite Johnny Depp in the controversial and powerful drama Blow, few people outside of his native Spain and Europe were familiar with his work. A talented actor with a wide range of roles to his credit, Mollà is considered the most popular male star in his country. "Jordi was such an interesting character in Blow," says Bay. "He's got this youthful exuberance and his persona has impact. You can feel it in the quality of his performance. He is a chameleon-like actor. He is a very talented actor, and so cool." "About three days before I began filming, Michael mentioned the idea of my speaking with a Cuban accent," recalls Mollà. "He thought it might be funnier because it was an unfamiliar accent to me. I resisted at first. But after thinking about it, I decided to give it a try. I called Yul Vázquez (the Cuban born actor who plays Detective Reyes) and asked for help. We taped him saying my lines in English and in Spanish, and the process seemed to work well. We built the character in about two days, " he says. Among the pointers he quickly picked up were that "Cubans use physical gestures, so my hands moved a lot more, my voice changed, everything changed a bit. I asked Yul to give me some bad words, little phrases you use when you get angry, but always thinking about how the audience has to understand what I'm saying. I started enjoying the experience more and more. Michael was right. The Cuban accent really changed the whole thing." Mollà was mindful of the obvious stereotypes about drug kingpins, but felt that it was leavened by the overall comedic tone of the film, so he took every opportunity to develop the humor in his character. "The movie is a natural comedy," says Mollà. "So even if I'm the bad guy, the serious guy, I can still have fun with him." He also used Tapia's background to bring added dimension to the role. "Even though Tapia has built this empire with mansions, private jets, expensive cars and beautiful women, the most important thing to him is still his family," adds Mollà. "Nothing takes precedence over his daughter and his mother. That's very Latin. Even though he's an incredibly powerful and dangerous, in the end, he's really just a family man who lives with fear every day of his life. He suspects everyone." By the same token, Tapia can't help but flirt with danger, Mollà continues. "He appreciates Syd, who had infiltrated his organization, because he likes people who take risks. He even offers her a job. It's a strange relationship. It's like he enjoys playing with danger." Tapia has a business partner who quickly becomes his main competitor and is soon trying to muscle in on his turf. Peter Stormare, who has previously appeared in such Bruckheimer productions as Armageddon and Bad Company, plays Russian mobster Alexei. "We couldn't find the part for Peter, so Michael and I promised him we'd come up with one," laughs Bruckheimer. "That's what's so wonderful about working with Michael. He'll find an actor like Peter who he feels is really talented, and convince that actor to accept a part that's maybe three lines, and the two of them will work on it together and suddenly the small role becomes a serious character in the movie. Peter isn't in a lot of scenes, but his character and his performance are memorable." Stormare agreed to tackle the role because of his strong working experience with Bay on Armageddon. "I didn't want to play a Russian the way they are normally portrayed," claims Stormare. "It was great to play Lev in Armageddon because he saved the Americans, which was so unusual. I still get more than 1,000 fan letters a year specifically about that role. So, I gave the vengeance Alexei tries to wreak on Tapia the flavor of something out of the wild, wild west," says Stormare. "In Miami there's still a bit of that. It was great to play a character who added flavor to the drink, like the twist of lime." Jason Manuel Olazábal (Detective Vargas) and Yul Vázquez (Detective Reyes) are two new faces in this second Bad Boys adventure. As members of the T.N.T. team, Vargas and Reyes are in constant competition with Burnett and Lowrey. "I cast these two great guys as foils for Marcus and Mike," Bay says. "A lot of times actors will try to go up against Will and Martin to be funny and it doesn't work. Even in the audition process they think they have to be funny, but that's not their job. Yul and Jason got it. I wanted to put Will and Martin around serious characters and let the humor come out of their quirky sensibilities." "In the movie we're frustrated with Marcus and Mike," explains Olazábal. "Even though we're on the same team, we're competitive and always trying to outdo one another. The more they mess up, the better we look." "It's a love-hate relationship," adds Vázquez. "Reyes and Vargas are of Cuban descent. The minute someone brings up something about being Cuban, you've crossed the line as far as my character is concerned. We were ad-libbing everywhere and as soon as the A.D. yelled 'Cut!' you could hear the whole crew laugh. It was an instant response, so we knew immediately if it was funny." One of the more prominent characters in Bad Boys II is Miami itself, or more appropriately, the various regions of south Florida that comprise Miami, including Miami Beach, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, not to mention towns farther north like Ft. Lauderdale, Hallandale and Hollywood. "Miami is such an international port," says Bruckheimer whose top-rated television series "C.S.I.: Miami" is set in the city. "Our contacts in various law enforcement agencies tell us that there's an enormous amount of money coming into the South Florida area, much of it via illegal contraband, more money than is created by business in the area. I don't think that statistic is indicative of the people or the local government. It's just a fact that law enforcement is desperately trying to deal with in a burgeoning, cosmopolitan community." ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Locations in Florida included the world-renowned Viscaya Estate (museum and gardens) and the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove, the Versace mansion in Miami Beach, Oleta State Park in North Miami Beach, the Biscayne Shopping Plaza, McArthur Dairy, Van Orsdel Funeral Home, Greenwich Studios and a variety of streets, thoroughfares and intersections in downtown Miami. The cast and crew traveled north to beautiful Del Ray Beach to shoot Tapia's mansion on Route #1. After spending four months in Florida, the film company wrapped principal photography with a quick trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the final week of production. One of the film's more intricate car chases through the streets of a small pueblo were shot in a fictitious town fabricated by the talented team of builders in the construction department. The company also used Sony's Stage #27 for various pickup shots as well as filming scenes taking place at the Gitmo Marine Base among the 700 acres of breathtaking vistas of Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California. "I remember looking through the lens," recalls Bay who also acted as the camera operator on the first film, "and Will was jumping over a car. I said, 'the guy looks like a movie star.' But what did I know? Another sequence that's sort of become my signature shot is the spiral we did around Will and Martin as they rise up, like the buildings that were all around us in the background. Everyone thought I was crazy and we didn't have time to do the shot, but I kept saying, 'trust me. This is the trailer shot.' And it was." "I create a lot of action in my head when I search for locations," Bay says. "I like to create action that's interesting to me personally. I write all of my own action scenes.I approach action by considering what I haven't done before, and thinking about how I can twist things to make them more exciting.Creating action is like a painting.I scout locations for ideas and take thousands of photos and start to conceive from there. Frequently, I develop an idea based on what the location itself offers." In Bad Boys II, Bay became intrigued by Miami's MacArthur Causeway, which along with the Julia Tuttle Bridge and the Venetian Causeway, links the City of Miami with the peninsula known as the City of Miami Beach. For three days last summer, the production shut down all eastbound lanes of the MacArthur Causeway from Biscayne Boulevard to Fountain Street (Palm and Hibiscus Islands) in order to film the sequence. The production posted variable message signs to help direct all drivers (passenger vehicles as well as commercial autos and trucks) to follow I-195. Resident traffic was rerouted to the Venetian Causeway. During the closure, the production company paid for all tolls for vehicles traveling on the Causeway. Law enforcement from the City of Miami, Miami Beach and Metro Dade, as well as the Florida Highway Patrol, was on hand to assist with traffic flow, and Marine Patrol controlled the waterways. The production worked with the Florida Department of Transportation to minimize any inconvenience. "I tried to make it as easy for both cities as possible," says Bay. "Whenever we weren't rolling, we let traffic flow. The Department of Transportation had an intricate traffic plan and we hired more than 90 police officers, plus several rescue/firefighting teams. We made an enormous effort to make sure the public was safe and inconvenienced as little as possible. Unfortunately, it rained a lot during the time we were on the bridge, which made it that much more difficult for us to shoot and worse, it caused a bottleneck on some of the roadways." "Closing down the Causeway was a terrific exercise in teamwork," says Bruckheimer. "We always reach for the pinnacle, hoping that we'll succeed, without losing sight of the reality of the situation and the enormity of the undertaking we ask of our locations department in order to make a film the best it can be. When all the entities involved in the Causeway closure -- the State of Florida, Miami Beach, Miami proper, the Department of Transportation, and all the various groups involved -- agreed to let us close the freeway intermittently for four days, we were overjoyed because we knew it would not only add tremendous significance to the action, but it would showcase both cities to the world. When the audience sees the MacArthur Causeway and drives across it with the vehicles in the film, there is no doubt, they are in South Florida." While shooting a portion of the intricate car chase on the bridge, stunt coordinator Andy Gill, who was piloting a classic Mustang caught in the melee was forced to steer the car off the road and into an overhead streetlight in order to avoid a potentially serious collision with the 'hero' car, a smoke gray 575 Maranello Ferrari. Various news items reported the stunt went terribly awry, but in fact Gill saved the day and the Ferrari by aiming the Mustang out of harm's way. "We counted on losing some cameras," notes Bay. "But we never expected to lose a Ferrari. As dangerous as it was at such high speeds, Andy saved the day." Known for his intense action scenes, Bay wanted the stunts in Bad Boys II to surpass the excitement he had devised for the first film. The concept of cars flying off a semi car carrier first began when Bay and his longtime storyboard artist Robbie Consign brainstormed ideas for the chase scene and tried to come up with a concept they hadn't conceived before. "We took a truck called a doolie and built a triple rig for it," Bay details. "The truck was encased within three gigantic poles, like a triangle, which surrounded the driver, and then we buried five cameras in the front bumper. During the chase, when the cars come loose from this gigantic carrier traveling 70 miles per hour, the object for the stunt drivers was to hit those cars. As the cars literally bounce off the carrier, the other cars traveling behind the carrier smash into them or deflect them, as the 'hero' car maneuvers through the chaos. We got some incredible shots, but we knew we were going to lose some cameras." The filmmakers, along with stunt coordinators Andy Gill and Steve Picerni, completed test after test to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. The Ferraris, driven by renowned stuntman Henry Kingi, were tested on an airport runway for speed and accuracy in steering and maneuverability. The car carrier was also tested to determine how fast the cars would slide off the deck of the carrier, how they would spin when hitting the pavement, how the force of the car being ejected affected the speed and direction of the carrier itself, not to mention the stuntmen and technicians strapped to the carrier with safety harnesses. A great deal of planning went into determining the appropriate distances between the carrier, the dozens of stunt drivers in other vehicles and the camera truck mounted with an unwieldy camera platform holding a 65-pound Panavision camera, the director and eight camera and sound technicians. Engineers from the State of Florida's Department of Transportation also insisted on the filmmakers running a series of tests to guarantee the bridge itself would not be damaged. Both Picerni and Gill have worked on numerous projects for Bay and Bruckheimer. They knew the task set before them was to create a stunt that literally jumped off the page. To that end, the stunt team brought in an additional 25-30 drivers for the four-day shoot. "Everything had to be way over the top," says Gill. "Whatever was called for in the script had to be expanded ten fold for Michael. It's got to be one stunt after another. What makes the job easier is that Michael knows how to shoot action. He knows the correct angles. The real task is to stay ahead of him and have everything prepared, because so much of what he wants is in his head and until he sets the cameras, it's anybody's guess." Picerni agrees. "Michael is very visual but unlike a lot of directors, he knows stunts. He knows what a squib is, he knows what piracell is, so when we talk to him about the gag, he understands the technical aspects of what it takes to make the stunt happen. Shooting one page of the MacArthur Causeway took four days, but we created the illusion he saw in his mind." Four days sounds like a long time to shoot just one page of script. But the logistics are demanding and concise. "We had about 60 cars we'd have to reset after each take," Picerni notes. "And then the crew would have to clean up whatever debris was on the bridge from the previous take before we could start shooting again. It was very time consuming." "Every shot is a big shot," adds Gill. "With Michael it's all about prep. We had 15 cars caged, ready to be T-boned or wrecked, thrown off the carrier, and 25 sets of 5-point belts placed in cars standing by, waiting to go because we didn't know how many times he wanted to do it." To capture the action, filmmakers utilized a small go-cart, equipped with a 35mm camera, driving at speeds up to 100 mph next to the carrier for spectacular low angles. But to create the ultimate in fast, super close, first person intensity, Bay used a customized vehicle his crew termed the "Bay Rammer." Gutted inside and stripped to only bare essentials outside, the stunt department fortified the automobile's body by caging the interior for the driver (as is the custom for barrel rolls and other such dangerous car stunts), and similarly surrounding the exterior to protect three mounted cameras. "It looked like a 'Mad Max' vehicle," laughs Picerni who piloted the rammer. "It was like a tank, totally caged. We were trying to create the illusion that the rammer was the Ferrari. When we see a car flip and hit me or go over me, that's what the Ferrari is trying to avoid." "Michael wants to get really low, shaky, fast angles, right up to the moment of impact," says Gill, "so that the audience experiences the punch of every turn and every car hitting, as though they're actually in the Ferrari with Martin and Will. I think the video rammer achieved that." Another extravaganza for stunt and special effects departments was the demolition of a beachfront mansion in Del Ray Beach. Purchased by three businessmen from one of the Coca Cola heirs, the unfinished home was going to be demolished and then rezoned to its original condition as three separate properties. To offset the expense of demolition, one of the owners decided to advertise in the Hollywood Reporter looking for a production interested in using the property. When Bay read the ad, he knew he'd found Tapia's mansion. "I was working on a movie in Hawaii when I got a call from Michael's assistant, Carolyn, telling me she was sending photos of a house," recalls special effects supervisor John Frazier. "I thought Michael was looking to buy a home in Florida, and I told Carolyn that I thought it was too big for Michael. But Carolyn said, 'Oh, he doesn't want to live in it, he wants to blow it up!'" he laughs. A veteran effects expert, Frazier admits that blowing up Tapia's mansion was not necessarily the most challenging assignment, but it was certainly one of the most enjoyable. "The first thing you have to realize about Michael is that the word 'small' is not in his vocabulary," explains Frazier. "And because Will and Martin just want to keep going and doing more and more, they dream up a lot of situations, which makes for a better work day. With the three of them you never have to read the script. You just show up with all the toys." As with the stunt team, Frazier is a stickler for safety. The 50,000-square-foot mansion was constructed of solid concrete. Prior to the company moving in to begin preparation for filming, the owners had already started to strip away the building's costly and irreplaceable details. They had dismantled and sold the ornate woodwork cornices and moldings, as well as the tinted, double-paned floor-to-ceiling windows along with other interior adornments. Months of planning and preparation by the production company, the city and state, wildlife groups, as well as the local film commission guaranteed the safe execution of the sequence as well as the well being of every person and animal in the area. "We started pre-rigging early on," Frazier says. "You have to do a lot of cutting and drilling in advance. We changed out the terracotta tiles on the roof that weighed about 30 pounds each and replaced them with cardboard shingles that cut the weight down to ounces. We also rigged hundreds of charges throughout the interior and around the exterior of the house. But we don't place the dynamite until just before the sequence because too many people come walking in, thinking it's safe because they can't readily see what we've rigged. The fact that this house was on the beach was in our favor since we directed the explosion towards the ocean." During the spectacular destruction of Tapia's mansion there were ten cameras rolling, catching every possible angle of the conflagration. One of the most uncomfortable locations for the cast and crew was Oleta State Park where the production spent ten nights filming Marcus and Mike crashing a Ku Klux Klan convocation. Even at night, the temperatures soared in the 90s, with humidity to match. The action took place in and around a swampy bog allowing the local insect population a feeding frenzy. Multiple cameras were placed in boats and on floating docks to capture the breadth of the scene. The five-month production culminated with a company move from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico for one of the film's most dangerous sequences. The stunt called for a team of drivers to navigate the narrow, winding streets of a shantytown carved out of the uncultivated, rocky terrain of a steep hillside by the film's talented art department. The stunt drivers of a Hummer and another truck relied on spotters wearing NASCAR headsets to direct them down the unwieldy roads. The sequence became even more difficult due to inclement weather, which shut down production for more than a day. "The drivers were basically blind once they started the drive through the shanties," explains Bay. "They couldn't see so they had to trust the man spotting them. At one point the spotters lost them in the mix and by accident the cars switched, so they got the wrong instructions but when we saw it on tape, it looked great. We actually shot that scene in a day and a half. It was a movie miracle." ABOUT THE CAST MARTIN LAWRENCE (Marcus Burnett) is one of America's most popular actor/comedians, having made his mark in film and television. Recently, Lawrence returned to the stand-up comedy world from which he originated, with a national tour and the theatrical release of Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat, a hysterical offering of the comedian's view on everything from the dangers of smoking to the trials and tribulations of relationships, peppered with a nonstop litany of raucous anecdotes, stinging social commentary and reflections about his personal life. The modestly budgeted concert film went on to become a box-office hit, reaffirming Lawrence's position in the comedy lexicon. He also recently starred in Columbia Pictures' action comedy National Security with Steve Zahn. Lawrence's impressive filmography, which has teamed him with some of the most successful actors in the industry, includes starring roles in numerous box-office hits such as Big Momma's House, which he also executive produced, Blue Streak, the original Bad Boys co-starring Will Smith and Life opposite Eddie Murphy. Additional film credits include Black Knight, What's The Worst That Can Happen? with Danny DeVito, Nothing To Lose with Tim Robbins, Boomerang also with Eddie Murphy, the House Party films, Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, in which he not only starred but also co-wrote and directed. A native of Landover, Maryland, Lawrence traces his comedy beginnings to his hyperactive childhood, where in grade school he would stand in the hall making jokes about everyone who walked by. A Golden Gloves boxer, Lawrence found his true calling when an art teacher encouraged him to go on stage at a local comedy club's open-mike night. From that moment on, comedy was in his blood. Relocating to New York, Lawrence eventually found his way to the legendary Improv comedy club. Shortly thereafter, he won a performance spot on the hugely successful talent showcase "Star Search" eventually making it to the final round. When executives at Columbia Television saw his "Star Search" appearance, they approached him with his first Hollywood job, the sit-com "What's Happening Now!" Following "What's Happening Now!" Lawrence was personally chosen by Rap music mogul Russell Simmons to host the groundbreaking showcase "Def Comedy Jam" on HBO. As the host of the instantly popular show for two seasons, Lawrence is credited with giving exposure to a new generation of American comics including Chris Tucker, Damon Wayans, Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, and many more. From 1992 to 1997, Lawrence starred in and served as executive producer of Fox Television's hit series "Martin." Garnering three NAACP Image Awards, the successful series was seen by many in the entertainment industry as being the foundation on which the fledgling network was built, and continues to be one of the most popular television shows in syndication. Lawrence also released You So Crazy, one of the top three highest grossing concert films of all time, which he followed with the Billboard Top 10 concert album "Talkin' Shit" and the Grammy nominated "Funk It." In 2001, Lawrence was honored for his contributions to the entertainment industry when his hand and footprints were placed in cement in front of Hollywood's fabled Grauman's Chinese Theater. WILL SMITH (Mike Lowrey) is an accomplished motion picture actor, television star, musician and producer. He took on the challenge of his career in the title role of Ali, a biopic exploring the life of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. For his performance, Smith received Best Actor Award nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the NAACP, the American Film Institute and the Broadcast Film Critics' Association. Most recently Smith starred in Men in Black II, which reunited him with Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld. Via his company Overbrook Entertainment, Smith served as executive producer for the Warner Bros.' action comedy Showtime starring Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy. In addition, the company has sold a new series, "All of Us," to UPN for debut in the fall. As one of the industry's most admired performers, Smith's varied film credits include The Legend of Bagger Vance directed by Robert Redford, which earned Smith an NAACP Award nomination for Best Actor. Earlier he starred in Wild, Wild West, for which his theme song went gold and the soundtrack, produced by Overbrook, went platinum. Smith thrilled audiences in the suspenseful Enemy of the State produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starred in two of the ten all time top-grossing films worldwide -- 1997's summer smash Men In Black (for which he recorded the film's Grammy-winning title song) and the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. Smith also starred in the original Don Simpson Jerry Bruckheimer production, Bad Boys for Columbia Pictures. The studio's largest grossing movie of 1995, Bad Boys transformed Smith from one of the funniest men in the entertainment industry into one of the sexiest action heroes in movies. Smith was recognized as NATO/ShoWest's "Male Star of Tomorrow" in 1995 and then in 2002, the organization honored him as "Male Star of the Year." In addition, he won the International Box Office Achievement Award in 1997 and was named "1999 Entertainer of the Year" at the NAACP Image Awards. Other film work includes a critically acclaimed performance in the Oscar®-nominated Six Degrees of Separation (his film debut), Made in America and Where the Day Takes You. A musical sensation, Smith made his first record as a high school senior and subsequently embarked on a rap career with friend Jeff Townes. Known as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, they recorded several platinum and multi-platinum albums, winning two Grammys and three American Music Awards. Smith's first solo album, "Big Willie Style," sold 8 million copies. His album "Willennium" and the featured single "Will2K" went double platinum, selling more than 2 million copies each. Smith made his transition into television as the star of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," a sitcom created for him by Quincy Jones. The hit NBC series wrapped its sixth and final season in 1996. Smith is partnered with his longtime friend James Lassiter in Overbrook Entertainment. JORDI MOLLÀ (Hector Juan Carlos "Johnny" Tapia) who made his American film debut with Blow opposite Johnny Depp, has been nominated three times in his native Spain for the Best Actor Goya Award. Mollà's extensive Spanish feature film credits include Segunda Piel, Nadie Conoce a Nadie, Volavérunt, Dollar for the Dead, Los Años Bárbaros, El Pianista, La Buena Estrella, Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí, La Celestina, La Flor de mi Secreto, Historias del Kronen, Todo es Mentira, Alegre ma non Troppo, El Fusil de Madera, Historias de la Puta Mili, Mi Hermano del Alma, Shooting Elizabeth, Potser No Sigui Massa Tard and Jamón, Jamón. He will next be seen in the action epic The Alamo. GABRIELLE UNION (Syd Burnett) has managed to build up an impressive resume in just a few short years. Last year, she graced the inaugural cover of Savoy Magazine, which described Union as "Hollywood's best kept secret" and marked her "the next Julia Roberts." In addition, Entertainment Weekly Magazine selected her for its "It List," People Magazine dubbed her "One to Watch," she was one of E!'s "Sizzling 16" and she appeared in Vogue Magazine as one of the "Next Generation of Movie Stars." Union recently starred in the romantic comedy Deliver Us From Eva opposite LL Cool J and directed by Gary Hardwick (The Brothers). She also appeared in her first action role in the Jet Li film Cradle to the Grave for producer Joel Silver. Last year, she appeared in the comedy Welcome To Collinwood costarring George Clooney, Isaiah Washington, Luis Guzman, Jennifer Esposito and Sam Rockwell and the thriller Abandon opposite Benjamin Bratt and Katie Holmes. Union first came to prominence in the hit comedy Bring It On opposite Kirsten Dunst and directed by Peyton Reed. Prior to that she starred in Screen Gems' The Brothers opposite Morris Chestnut. Her other feature film credits include Two Can Play That Game, Love & Basketball, Ten Things I Hate About You and She's All That. Last season Union guest-starred opposite Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer on the hit NBC show "Friends." Her appearance marked the first African-American love interest on the series. In addition, she joined the cast of Steven Bochco's CBS drama, "City Of Angels" as "Dr. Courtney Ellis" for a season. Upon graduating with honors from UCLA, Union made her television debut on the hit comedy "Moesha." Union currently resides in Los Angeles. PETER STORMARE (Alexei) is a Swedish-born actor/director with an international flare that sets him apart from other performers. Stormare has been working non-stop lately, having just finished production on the much-anticipated CBS miniseries that examines Hitler's ascent to power, "Hitler: The Rise of Evil." Currently in production on Birth with Nicole Kidman and Lauren Bacall, he can also been seen in Spun with John Leguizamo and Mickey Rourke. Last summer, Stormare starred in a variety of films including Bad Company with Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins, John Woo's Windtalkers opposite Nicolas Cage, Minority Report with Tom Cruise under the direction of Steven Spielberg and The Tuxedo with Jackie Chan. Stormare has consistently worked with exceptional directors throughout his career. He appeared in Penny Marshall's Awakenings, Steven Spielberg's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the Coen brothers' Fargo and The Big Lebowski, Joel Schumacher's 8MM and Michael Bay's Armageddon. Other work includes Lars Van Trier's Dancer in the Dark, Lasse Hallström's Chocolat and Wim Wenders' Million Dollar Hotel. Stormare began his acting career in his native land at the Royal National Theater of Sweden under the direction of legendary Ingmar Bergman. He performed leading roles in "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Miss Julie," "King Lear" and "Hamlet." It was while performing "Hamlet" in New York that Stormare was embraced by American audiences and was sought out for his first American feature roles. He sustained his work in theater appearing in productions at the Actors' Studio and the Public Theater. At the same time, he became the associate director of the Globe Theater in Tokyo. Inspired by his passion for musicspecifically The Beatles, The Clash and NirvanaStormare formed a band called Blond From Fargo, an homage to his breakout role. The five-member rock and roll band includes the guitarist from Roxette, the drummer from Alanis Morissette and the bass player from Slash's Snakepit. With such a variety of musicians Blond From Fargo has a wide range and eclectic sound. The group is currently recording its first record for release later this year. Stormare writes all the music and plays guitar. THERESA RANDLE (Theresa Burnett) got her first big break as an actress playing Denzel Washington's sweetheart "Laura" in the critically acclaimed Malcolm X. A native of Los Angeles, Randle began acting at age six under the tutelage of acting coach Diane Hardin. She starred in Spike Lee's Girl 6. Among her other film credits are Mark A. Z. Dippe's Spawn, Joe Pytka's Space Jam with Michael Jordan, John Landis' Beverly Hills Cop 3 with Eddie Murphy, Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats, Sugar Hill, King of New York and Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. Her stage credits include "Haiti: The Rhythms, The Dances & The Gods" with Danny Glover "In Command of The Children," "Sonata," "6 Pieces of Musical Broadway" and "Fight the Good Fight." On television she appeared in "Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story." JOE PANTOLIANO (Captain Howard) was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, and landed his first professional role in 1972 when he played "Billy Bibbit" in the national touring company of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He worked in regional theater appearing in more than 40 Off-Broadway productions including "Vision of Kerouac" at the Lion Theater and "The Death Star" at the Theater of St. Clements. In 1976, he moved to Hollywood to appear in the ABC series "McNamara's Band" and then "Free Country" starring Rob Reiner. He was also cast in the coveted role of "Maggio" in the NBC miniseries "From Here to Eternity." He returned to the stage in Los Angeles winning a Dramalogue Award and a Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for "Orphans." He received his second Dramalogue Award for Best Actor for "Italian American Reconciliation," written by John Patrick Shanley. Pantoliano was nominated for a Cable ACE Award for an episode of the horror series "Tales From the Crypt" directed by Richard Donner. Other television credits include roles on "NYPD Blue," "L.A. Law" and "Civil Wars." He also starred in HBO's "El Diablo," the NBC series "The Fanelli Boys," as well as the critically acclaimed CBS drama series "EZ Streets," for which he was nominated for a Viewers for Quality Television Award. On the big screen, Pantoliano has appeared in more than 40 films including Risky Business, Running Scared, La Bamba, Stephen Spielberg's Empire of the Sun, Midnight Run, The Fugitive, Bound opposite Academy Award® nominee Jennifer Tilly, U.S. Marshals with Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes and the original Bad Boys co-starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Pantoliano starred in the Avi Nesher-directed drama Taxman co-starring Elizabeth Berkley and also served as the film's associate producer. Pantoliano re-teamed with the Wachowski Brothers to co-star opposite Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne in the smash hit The Matrix. He made an enormous splash when he co-starred as gangster Ralph Cifaretto in HBO's groundbreaking drama "The Sopranos." He also starred opposite Carrie-Anne Moss and Guy Pearce in the independent sleeper hit Memento for director Christopher Nolan. While co-starring in Bad Boys II, Pantoliano's first literary endeavor hit bookstores. "Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy" is about his life growing up in Hoboken. Most recently, Pantoliano appeared in Daredevil starring Ben Affleck. This fall he stars in his own series on CBS, "The Handler," portraying a policeman who trains undercover cops. Pantoliano resides in New York with his wife Nancy Sheppard and their four children. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS MICHAEL BAY (Director) is helming his fifth Jerry Bruckheimer production with Bad Boys II. His debut feature, the original Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, wowed audiences and critics alike grossing more than $160 million worldwide, making it Columbia Pictures top grossing film of 1995. The film has become a paragon of the stylish action comedy. Bay's second film was the big-budget action film The Rock starring Academy Award®-winning actors Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage and four-time nominee Ed Harris. The film became a major summer blockbuster of 1996 and won people over with its dazzling mix of visual excitement, high-wire suspense and compelling performances. The Rock brought in over $325 million worldwide, more than doubling the breakout success of Bay's debut. Bay re-teamed with Bruckheimer to make Armageddon, a story conceived with writer Jonathan Hensleigh. Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler and Will Patton, Armageddon marked another major global success, taking in more than $550 million, making Bay one of the youngest directors to reach the $1 billion mark. Bay next directed and produced, with Bruckheimer, the historical epic Pearl Harbor starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Jon Voight and Alec Baldwin. A sweeping saga of love and war, Pearl Harbor was a hit with young audiences and World War II veterans alike. It grossed over $450 million and is one of the top-selling DVDs of all time. Bay is a product of the influential film program at Wesleyan University. He went on to study at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. After graduating, Bay began making music videos. He drew accolades for directing Donny Osmond's musical comeback and was soon recruited by Propaganda Films, where he directed award-winning videos for such acts as Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Meat Loaf and the Divinyls. Bay's first television ad for the American Red Cross won the prestigious Clio Award. He went on to direct some of the most widely seen and remembered ads in TV history, including spots for Nike, Budweiser, Levi's, Bugle Boy, Coca Cola, Isuzu, Miller and Mercedes. His best recognized campaign, 'Got Milk?,' is one of the most lauded and imitated series in advertising history. Bay won a Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for the 'Got Milk?/Aaron Burr' ad -- dubbed one of the top ten commercials of all time by USA Today and the History Channel. It also garnered the Museum of Modern Art Award for Best Campaign of the Year. By the age of 26 Bay had won every major directing prize bestowed by the advertising industry including the Gold and Silver Lion at Cannes. Bay recently established his Platinum Dunes production banner, designed to create lower-budget film fare with wide appeal. The first film under the Platinum Dunes shingle is a re-imagining of the cult hit horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which Bay is producing. RON SHELTON (Screenplay, Story) was born in Whittier, California, and raised in Santa Barbara. A graduate of Santa Barbara High School and Westmont College, he received a M.F.A. in art from the University of Arizona after several years of playing professional baseball in the Baltimore Orioles' minor league system. Shelton's first film was 1983's political drama Under Fire. Set against the civil unrest of the Nicaraguan revolution and starring Gene Hackman, Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy, Under Fire was Shelton's first credit as a screenwriter. He also directed second unit on that film. The 1988 Oscar® nominated screenplay for Bull Durham was Shelton's directorial debut. The film garnered critical acclaim for Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and for Shelton who received the Best Original Screenplay award from the Writers' Guild of America. His script was also honored by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. Blaze was made in 1989 and starred Paul Newman as Louisiana Governor Earl Long and Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr, the stripper for whom he jeopardized his political career. Shelton then teamed up with Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes and Rosie Perez in the 1992 playground basketball comedy White Men Can't Jump, about two basketball hustlers who team up to run a scam on L.A.'s toughest courts. Cobb (1994), starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Wuhl, was Shelton's uncompromising depiction of one of baseball's darkest heroes. Shelton and Costner re-teamed in 1996 with the romantic comedy Tin Cup starring Rene Russo, Don Johnson and Cheech Marin. It tells the story of a former golf pro seeking redemption and love while attempting to win the U.S. Open. Play It to the Bone was released in 1999 and starred Woody Harrelson, Antonio Banderas, Lolita Davidovich and Lucy Liu in a road movie about boxing. Shelton directed Dark Blue in the summer of 2001. Written by David Ayer and based on original material by James Ellroy, this was the first script that Shelton has directed that he did not write. It stars Kurt Russell and was released by MGM/UA in February. He recently co-wrote, directed and produced Hollywood Homicide starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. JERRY STAHL (Screenplay) has established a diverse career as an author of novels, a writer for films and television, and as a magazine and newspaper journalist. Most recently Stahl worked for Jerry Bruckheimer Films as a consultant on the CBS series "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation." He has also written for such popular television series as "Twin Peaks," "Moonlighting," "thirtysomething" and "Alf." He chronicled his early experiences in Hollywood as a heroin addict in the memoir Permanent Midnight, which was made into the 1998 movie of the same name and starred Ben Stiller and Elizabeth Hurley. Currently, Stahl is completing The Minder for Jerry Bruckehimer Films and collaborating with Johnny Knoxville on an as yet untitled project. He has also appeared in small roles in Down with the Joneses, Zoolander, Gun Shy and, of course, Permanent Midnight. Stahl's most recent novel, Plainclothes Naked, was released in November 2002. His second book, Perv, was on the Los Angeles Times' Best Seller list, while his autobiography, Permanent Midnight, landed on Best Seller lists around the world. Stahl's anthologized fiction and journalism have appeared in Esquire, Playboy, Black Book, LA Weekly and Tin House, and he currently writes a monthly column on popular culture for Details. MARIANNE WIBBERLEY & CORMAC WIBBERLEY (Story) both grew up in Southern California and attended the same high school. They also both attended UCLA where they earned bachelors degrees -- Marianne in mathematics and Cormac in economics. Marianne then went on to UCLA's graduate Film School. In 1993, they sold their first spec script to Disney and have been writing together ever since. The Sixth Day starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was their first major motion picture. Their most recent projects were Columbia Pictures' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and I Spy. They are currently at work on I Dream of Jeannie, based on the classic television show of the same name, for Columbia Pictures, as well as National Treasure for director Jon Turtletaub and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. JERRY BRUCKHEIMER (Producer) Even if you miss the signature lightning bolt that identifies every one of his productions, and whether you're in a dark theatre looking up at a 70-foot screen or your own home watching a 27" picture, you know when you're looking at a Jerry Bruckheimer Production. One of the most successful producers of all time, he is a filmmaker and now a television mogul who loves telling a story, respects his audiences and delivers a visual feast unmistakably his own. Bruckheimer's films have worldwide revenues of over $12.5 billion in box office, video and recording receipts; and this season three of his network series were simultaneously listed in the Top 10, a feat heretofore unprecedented by any television producer. Always a storyteller, Bruckheimer learned early how to keep a story moving. He had to. His first films were the 60-second tales he created as an award-winning commercial producer in his native Detroit. One of those mini-films, a parody of Bonnie and Clyde he created for Pontiac, was noted for its brilliance in Time magazine. It also brought the 23-year-old producer to the attention of world-renowned ad agency BBD&O, which lured him to New York. Four years on Madison Avenue gave him the experience and confidence to tackle Hollywood, and, not yet 30, he was at the helm of memorable films like Farewell, My Lovely, American Gigolo and 1983's Flashdance, which changed Bruckheimer's life by becoming a sleeper hit (grossing $100 million in the U.S. alone) and pairing him with an old acquaintance, producer Don Simpson, who would be his partner for the next 13 years. One of the most prolific partnerships in recent motion picture history, Bruckheimer and Simpson produced films that were honored with 15 Academy Award® nominations, two Oscars® for Best Song, four Grammys, three Golden Globes, two People's Choice Awards for Best Picture and the MTV Award for Best Picture of the Decade. Industry acclaim followed the box office success. In both 1985 and 1988, the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) named Bruckheimer Producer of the Year. And, along with Simpson, the Publicists Guild of America chose him as 1988's Motion Picture Showman of the Year, a tribute he received again in 2003 when the Publicists Guild honored him for Showmanship in Television. By 1995, the team was producing one hit after another. In that year alone, Bruckheimer was responsible for Bad Boys, the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence film that was Columbia Pictures' highest grossing movie of the year; Michelle Pfeiffer's acclaimed Dangerous Minds and Crimson Tide, the Denzel Washington/Gene Hackman adventure that, with Dangerous Minds, topped Hollywood Pictures' box office slate. In 1996, Bruckheimer produced The Rock starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage. The film broke new ground and continued established Bruckheimer traditions with a box office gross of nearly $350 million worldwide. It also set the video rental record as the most-ordered film in history. His casting of the film re-established Connery as an action star and created that same image for the intellectual Cage. The Rock, named Favorite Movie of the Year by NATO, was Bruckheimer's last movie with Simpson, who died during production. Now on his own, Bruckheimer followed in 1997 with Con Air, a film that elevated Cage to the pantheon of international action heroes, and grossed over $230 million. It also earned a Grammy and two Oscar® nominations and brought its producer once more to the attention of the international industry, when, in 1999, he was awarded the ShoWest International Box Office Achievement Award for unmatched foreign grosses. In 1998, Touchstone Pictures released Armageddon starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve Buscemi. The outer space adventure, directed by Michael Bay, was the biggest movie of 1998, with combined revenues of nearly $560 million worldwide. Its soundtrack album reached multi-platinum status and spawned the #1 single "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing," which was honored with an Academy Award® nomination. Bruckheimer's second hit of 1998 was the psychological thriller Enemy of the State starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman. Both a critical and box office hit, Enemy earned over $225 million worldwide. The year 2000 began with an acknowledgment of the highest order from his own peers as Bruckheimer received the David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures from the Producers Guild of America. On the heels of this accolade, Bruckheimer released three films. The first, Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Delroy Lindo and Robert Duvall, was released in June and brought Bruckheimer his biggest non-holiday opening ever. This update of the 1974 cult classic went on to blockbuster status, grossing over $230 million worldwide. Later that summer came Coyote Ugly, a romantic comedy from Touchstone Pictures about a young songwriter's wild adventures in Manhattan. Its hit soundtrack album, with songs written by Diane Warren and performed by LeAnn Rimes, has spent over two years on the Billboard chart. The single "Can't Fight the Moonlight" has sold over 500,000 copies and the album went triple platinum in 2002. In fall 2000, Walt Disney Pictures released Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington. Inspired by the true story of the integration of a Virginia high school football team, the film touched audiences with its sensitive portrayals and moving story and earned the film the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture, and Washington the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. It also won nominations for People's Choice Awards as Favorite Dramatic Film, Favorite Movie and Best Actor and grossed over $115 million in domestic box office receipts. Over Memorial Day Weekend 2001, Disney opened the eagerly anticipated Pearl Harbor directed by Michael Bay and starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale and Alec Baldwin. Hailed by World War II veterans and scholars as a worthy re-creation of the shock and horror of the surprise attack that brought the United States into the war, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Original Song for "There You'll Be," Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound and was the recipient of the Academy Award® for Best Sound Editing. Pearl Harbor amassed over $450 million in worldwide box office receipts and its $250 million in DVD and video sales increases daily. Black Hawk Down, the story of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu adapted from the best-selling book by Mark Bowden and starring Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore and Sam Shepard, opened to rave reviews and multiple award nominations. Director Ridley Scott was not only nominated for an Academy Award® for his work, but also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Directors Guild Award and an A.F.I. Award. The film itself garnered nominations from the A.F.I. and the National Board of Review as well as the History Channel. Editor Pietro Scalia won the Academy Award® and was recognized with nominations from BAFTA and A.F.I. The picture was honored with the Best Sound Oscar® as well as an Oscar® nomination for Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak. On June 7, 2002 Touchstone Pictures released Bad Company starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. The action/comedy, directed by Joel Schumacher, chronicles the efforts of a veteran CIA agent to transform a sarcastic, streetwise punk into a sophisticated and savvy spy in order to replace his murdered twin brother for a highly dangerous mission. Kangaroo Jack, a raucous comedy set in the Australian Outback, starring Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren and Christopher Walken, was Bruckheimer's first collaboration with Castle Rock Pictures and reunited him with director David McNally. The hit family film was given an award for excellence by the National Film Advisory Board and was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for "Virtual Performance." As Time magazine recently stated, "The most successful producer in film historyis on his way to becoming the most successful producer in the history of TV." Bruckheimer brought the power of the lightning bolt to the small screen. The show "C.S.I." starring William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger as members of an elite forensic crime scene investigation unit in Las Vegas quickly won the loyalty of both critics and viewers and is currently the number one show on television. In 2001, "C.S.I." was honored with the TV Guide Award for Best New Drama, nominations for a Golden Globe and People's Choice Award for Best Dramatic Series, as well as four Emmy nominations. In 2002, "C.S.I." was honored with six Emmy nominations including Outstanding Drama as well as a Golden Globe nomination. In 2003, "C.S.I." was the most-watched show on television, an honor CBS has held only twice before in its history with "Gunsmoke" and "Dallas." In addition to mega-hit "C.S.I.," JBTV introduced two new dramas on CBS in the fall of 2002. The first, "C.S.I.: Miami," starring David Caruso, is a spin-off of "C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation." The second is "Without a Trace" starring Anthony LaPaglia as the leader of the FBI Missing Person's Unit in New York City. "C.S.I.: Miami" and "Without a Trace" are the number one and two new dramas this season. Also produced by JBTV and currently picked up for a fourth season on CBS, "The Amazing Race," a reality show in which twelve couples are sent around the world, has developed a loyal following on Wednesday nights. His ability to leverage his power in the film business to the advantage of his television projects is unmatched and in the fall of 2003, Jerry Bruckheimer Television will premiere three new dramas: "Skin" for Fox Television, "Fearless" for The WB and "Cold Case" for CBS. "Skin" stars Ron Silver and introduces Olivia Wilde and DJ Cottrona as two young lovers who are forced to navigate between their feuding families. "Fearless" explores the life of a young FBI agent born without the gene for fear. Rachel Leigh Cook stars along with Eric Balfour. And Kathryn Morris stars as a Philadelphia homicide detective seeking justice for unsolved murders, each filed away and labeled as a "Cold Case." That puts JBTV at the top of the heap with a record six hours of weekly primetime television programming on the air. Among Bruckheimer's recent releases is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a swashbuckling tale of a daring rescue mission aimed at reversing an ancient curse. An irreverent wink at the popular Disney theme park attraction, the film stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and is directed by Gore Verbinski. Later this year, Bruckheimer has Veronica Guerin the biography of the heroic Irish journalist gunned down by Dublin crime lords, starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Joel Schumacher. Filming is currently underway in Ireland on King Arthur, a gritty revisionist take on the Arthurian legend penned by David Franzoni. The film stars Clive Owen as Arthur opposite Pirates headliner Keira Knightley as Guinevere and is directed by Antoine Fuqua. Bruckheimer will again team with Nicolas Cage on the Jon Turtletaub-directed National Treasure, a fast-paced action comedy set to begin production this August. What these and the other projects on Jerry Bruckheimer's slate have in common is what his concepts have always shared: great characters playing out great stories. When the films reach the screen, they will embody what his films have always given us: stories told with visual style and passion, cinematic adventures that engage audiences worldwide. MIKE STENSON (Executive Producer) is president of Jerry Bruckheimer Films for which he supervises all aspects of film development and production. Before joining the company, he was an executive in charge of production at Disney, responsible for many Bruckheimer films including Armageddon, The Rock, Crimson Tide and Dangerous Minds. More recently, Stenson served as a producer on Bad Company and Gone in Sixty Seconds and as an executive producer on Pirates of the Caribbean, Kangaroo Jack, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Coyote Ugly, Remember the Titans and the upcoming Veronica Guerin. Born and raised in Boston, Stenson graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in economics and a master of business administration. After his undergraduate stint, he started as a production assistant in New York and worked for two years in independent films and television as an assistant director and production manager before returning to Boston to complete his graduate education. After completing business school, Stenson moved to Los Angeles where he began his tenure at Walt Disney Studios in Special Projects for two years before moving into the production department at Hollywood Pictures as a creative executive. He was promoted to vice president and subsequently executive vice president during his eight years with the company, overseeing development and production for Hollywood Pictures as well as Touchstone Pictures. In addition to the many Bruckheimer films, Stenson also developed several other films and nurtured them through production and release including Instinct, Six Days, Seven Nights and Mr. Holland's Opus. While at Disney, many filmmakers attempted to woo Stenson away from the studio, but not until 1998 did he entertain leaving. With his newest position at the helm of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Stenson spearheaded Bruckheimer's plan to expand the company's production schedule of film and television projects. The company has several films in development and currently produces six on-going television series including "The Amazing Race," "C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation," "C.S.I.: Miami," "Without a Trace," "Profiles from the Front Line" and the upcoming "Skin." Upcoming is the action drama King Arthur starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley, as well as the action/adventure National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage. CHAD OMAN (Executive Producer) is the president of production for Jerry Bruckheimer Films for which he oversees all aspects of film development and production. Oman produced, along with Bruckheimer, Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton and Coyote Ugly starring Piper Perabo, Maria Bello and John Goodman. His resume also includes credits as an executive producer on Jerry Bruckheimer Films' Pirates of the Caribbean, Kangaroo Jack, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Enemy of the State, Armageddon and Con Air. Upcoming is the action drama King Arthur starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley. In addition to his work on Bruckheimer Films' many motion pictures, Oman also supervised production on several television projects including the "Soldier of Fortune" series starring Brad Johnson for Rysher Entertainment, ABC's drama "Dangerous Minds" starring Annie Potts and the ABC drama "Swing Vote" written by Ron Bass and starring Andy Garcia. Prior to joining Simpson/Bruckheimer in the spring of 1995, Oman was a founding employee of the Motion Picture Corporation of America. After six years he left the independent production company as senior vice president of production. Oman served as associate producer on Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey, executive produced The War at Home starring Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates and Martin Sheen and was a co-producer on The Desperate Trail with Sam Elliot and The Sketch Artist with Drew Barrymore and Sean Young. Oman produced Hands that See starring Courtney Cox and Jeff Fahey and Love, Cheat and Steal starring John Lithgow and Eric Roberts. Oman graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in finance. He also attended the University of California at Los Angeles where he studied screenwriting, and New York University where he participated in the undergraduate film production program. He was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas. BARRY WALDMAN (Executive Producer) has worked on seven movies for Jerry Bruckheimer Films -- Kangaroo Jack, Pearl Harbor, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Armageddon, The Rock and Bad Boys. He also acted as production manager on Batman & Robin and The Craft. Born and raised in New York, Waldman moved to Florida to complete his studies at the University of Miami. Upon graduation, he paid his dues as a production assistant before quickly moving up the ranks to become the assistant director for various independent films and television programs. He met Bruckheimer and Bay when he worked on the second unit for the original Bad Boys. Waldman realized his ambition as he soon progressed to producing and production managing such popular television shows as "Key West" and "Dead at 21," which garnered a Genesis Award and a Cable Ace nomination. Another highlight included producing a documentary shot on location in Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica depicting the war between the Sandanistas and the Contras. Waldman decided to make a transition to feature films and relocated to Los Angeles. He produced "Zooman," starring Lou Gossett Jr. for Showtime before beginning his association with Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Waldman is currently in production on Bruckheimer's upcoming action adventure National Treasure for director Jon Turtletaub. AMIR MOKRI (Director of Photography) was born in Iran and previously worked on the Jerry Bruckheimer Films' production of Coyote Ugly directed by David McNally. He attended Boston University and Emerson College in Boston and upon graduation became a cinematography fellow at the American Film Institute. Shortly thereafter he met director Wayne Wang. The duo collaborated on several films including The Joy Luck Club, Life is Cheap . . . but Toilet Paper is Expensive, Eat a Bowl of Tea and Slamdance. His other credits include Salton Sea, An Eye for an Eye, Freejack, Pacific Heights, Whore, Blue Steel, Queens Logic and House of the Rising Sun. Mokri's work on commercials and music videos is extensive as is his resume of short films, which includes The Waiting, A Hero of Our Time, L.A. Games, Air Lock, Mr. Daddy and Messenger. DOMINIC WATKINS (Production Designer) previously provided the production design on the short film Hire: The Star, on the feature Wicked and on the TV movie "Lake Consequence." He was the art director on the television film "To Save a Child." MARK GOLDBLATT, A.C.E. (Edited by) previously worked on Jerry Bruckheimer Films' Bad Company, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon. He also edited Paul Verhoeven's The Hollow Man, Starship Troopers and Showgirls. Goldblatt earned an Academy Award® nomination for his work on James Cameron's blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He also worked with Cameron on True Lies and the original The Terminator. In the late 1990s, he edited Adam Rivkin's Detroit Rock City. Other action hits he has edited include Commando, Predator 2, The Last Boy Scout, Rambo: First Blood, Part II, as well as providing additional editing on the Don Simpson Jerry Bruckheimer Production of The Rock. His first editing assignment was as a co-editor on Piranha directed by Joe Dante. He went on to edit The Howling and Halloween II. His other credits include Nightbreed, Super Mario Brothers, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Over the Brooklyn Bridge. In addition, Goldblatt has directed the motion pictures Dead Heat and The Punisher. He was also the second-unit director on Paul Verhoeven's Robocop and a past president of The American Cinema Editors. THOMAS A. MULDOON (Edited by) has previously edited Gone in Sixty Seconds and the Guy Ritchie short Hire: The Star with Clive Owen. ROGER BARTON (Edited by) previously edited Ghost Ship, Pearl Harbor, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Detroit Rock City and That Darn Cat. He was also an associate editor on Armageddon and Titanic. DEBORAH L. SCOTT (Costume Designer) won the 1998 Academy AwardÒ for Best Costume Design for her work on Titanic. She has since provided the costumes for The Patriot and Minority Report as well as Wild Wild West, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, Heat, The Indian in the Cupboard, Legends of the Fall, Sliver, Jack the Bear, Hoffa, Defending Your Life, Coupe de Ville, Who's That Girl, About Last Night, Back to the Future, E.T., The Twilight Zone and Never Cry Wolf. CAROL RAMSEY (Costume Designer) grew up in Pennsylvania. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree in harpsichord performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. Beginning her costuming career in the Boston Shakespeare Company costume shop, she quickly moved into designing for many Boston-based theaters, dance companies, private clothing clients, commercials, and films. In 1983, Ramsey designed her first feature film and has since designed more than 26 features. Her favorite credits include Le Divorce, Surviving Picasso, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Slaves of New York, Scary Movie 3, The Santa Clause, Jungle 2 Jungle, Tuck Everlasting, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, King of New York and Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead. For television she's designed "Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis" for CBS, "Popular" for the WB and "Three Sovereigns for Sarah" (American Playhouse). She was nominated for a 2002 Costume Designer's Guild Award for "Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis". Ramsey currently resides in Studio City with her husband, Douglas Miller who is a documentary filmmaker, and their 14-year old daughter, Maren Miller. TREVOR RABIN (Music) has consolidated a position among the top raking popular film composers of the day. He wrote the music for many Jerry Bruckheimer Films' including Bad Company, Remember the Titans, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Enemy of the State, Armageddon and Con Air, along with the theme for Bruckheimer's "Soldier of Fortune" television series. At the opposite end of the spectrum was a fun, uplifting score for the family movie Kangaroo Jack (also from JBF) as well as a lyrical orchestration for the Michael Keaton starrer, Jack Frost. In 1999, Rabin also wrote the publishing composition for Deep Blue Sea and the film's score as well. He returned to his roots for "Whispers: An Elephant's Tale," drawing on traditional African instrumentation, vocal performances and powerful rhythms to create his atmospheric score. He has also composed for the films Texas Rangers, The One, Rock Star and American Outlaws. Other film work included the music for The 6th Day and complete pieces as well as partial scores for Eraser and The Glimmer Man." He also wrote the entire score for Homegrown. Rabin is part of a new generation of film composers who hail from the world of rock music. As a member of the rock band phenomenon YES for more than a decade beginning in 1983, he played guitar and wrote most of the music on the group's best-selling album 90125, including the number one single "Owner of a Lonely Heart." He also penned the majority of the songs and co-produced YES's next album, Big Generator. For his solo albums, Rabin wrote or co-wrote all the songs, played every instrument (with the exception of drums) and engineered most of the recordings. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Rabin studied classical piano and trained as a conductor and arranger. His first professional band performed original anti-apartheid songs. He later founded a group called 'Rabbit,' which became the most popular rock band in South African history. After moving to London and co-producing Manfred Mann's Chance album, Rabin released three albums on Chrysalis Records. He moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and two years later joined YES. Rabin and his family make their home in Los Angeles. KATHY NELSON (Music Supervisor) is one of the most influential figures in film music. Kathy Nelson not only pioneered and defined the movie and television soundtrack business, but has paved the way for other women to follow her into the highest ranks of the entertainment industry. In 2001, she continued to aspire and achieve when she was named President of Film Music for Universal Music Group (UMG) and Universal Pictures, becoming the first executive to oversee music in both arenas at a major entertainment company. For UMG, she heads the development and production of all soundtrack albums for the labels of the world's leading music company. For Universal Pictures, she manages all music elements for the studio's feature films. Through the years, Nelson has worked on some of the most important and successful films of our time with the top directors in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Alan Parker, Michael Bay, Jonathan Demme, Robert Redford, Adrian Lyne, Spike Lee, Stephen Frears, John Waters, Quentin Tarantino, Garry Marshall, Jon Avnet, Michael Mann and Joe Roth. She has also notably collaborated on every film over the past 20 years for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, including those with his late partner Don Simpson. Nelson began her career in 1984 at MCA Records. Soon after, she became the first executive at a major label to focus exclusively on soundtracks, building the label's soundtrack division from the ground up. One of the early music supervisors, her first film was that year's Repo Man. The following year was highlighted by the spectacular accomplishments of the Grammy-winning double platinum Beverly Hills Cop, the gold-selling Back To The Future and Grammy-winning quadruple platinum album for TV's "Miami Vice." Nelson led the evolution of soundtracks from a time when they were considered unimportant to an artist's career or a company's bottom line to today, when they can be both bestsellers and crucial to an artist's development. During more than 10 years at MCA, as music supervisor or music consultant, she also scored breakthroughs with the triple platinum Pulp Fiction, triple platinum Grammy-winning Dangerous Minds, the platinum selling Beverly Hills Cop II, the gold-selling Grammy-winning Out Of Africa, gold Grammy-winning An American Tail, gold Days Of Thunder, gold Grammy-winning Schindler's List, double platinum The Commitments and gold Jurassic Park as well as Thelma & Louise, Something Wild, Silence Of The Lambs, Fried Green Tomatoes, Sid & Nancy, Ghostbusters and the TV series Northern Exposure. When she exited MCA, Nelson held the post of Senior Vice President/General Manager. In 1996, she was named President of Film Music for The Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, responsible for Disney, Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures. During her tenure there, she guided the music for such projects as the Grammy-winning Up Close & Personal, Pearl Harbor (with its Best Song Oscar®-nominated "There You'll Be" performed by Faith Hill), platinum The Preachers Wife, quadruple platinum Armageddon (with the Oscar® and Grammy-nominated, gold and #1-charting "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith), Grammy-winning Con Air, Phenomenon (with the gold Grammy Record and Song of the Year "Change The World" by Eric Clapton), gold Gross Pointe Blank, triple platinum Coyote Ugly and platinum Runaway Bride plus the acclaimed High Fidelity. Since joining UMG and Universal Pictures, her credits as an executive have included the platinum The Fast And The Furious, gold American Pie 2, gold Scorpion King, Bridget Jones's Diary, About A Boy, gold XXX, A Beautiful Mind, Black Hawk Down (also as music supervisor), Grammy-winning Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, Frida (Oscar®-winner for Best Original Score and nominee for Best Song), Grammy-nominated soundtrack to the TV series "Six Feet Under" and quadruple platinum 8 Mile with Eminem's Oscar®-winning song "Lose Yourself." She was most recently music supervisor on Hollywood Homicide. With a combination of creative talent and business acumen that has resulted in projects of enormous commercial success and artistic acclaim, Kathy Nelson remains an inspirational role model for women and a much-honored executive who continues to lead the film music industry into the future. BOB BADAMI (Music Supervisor) has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in Hollywood as a motion picture music supervisor and music editor. His previous films for producer Jerry Bruckheimer include Pearl Harbor, Remember the Titans, Coyote Ugly, Gone in 60 Seconds, Enemy of the State, Armageddon, Kangaroo Jack, Con Air, The Rock, Dangerous Minds, Crimson Tide, Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Top Gun and American Gigolo. In addition, he worked on many films with Tim Burton including Mars Attacks!, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. Among his other feature film credits are Riding in Cars with Boys, The Insider, Bulworth, Instinct, Mighty Joe Young, Grosse Pointe Blank and Michael. Recent films include Pirates of the Caribbean, Tears of the Sun and the upcoming Gigli. Badami's numerous contributions to film music over more than two decades include James and the Giant Peach, Grumpier Old Men, Darkman, Love Affair, Sommersby, Scent of a Woman, Dick Tracy, Midnight Run, Broadcast News, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, Star Trek III, Thief of Hearts, Terms of Endearment, The Outsiders, Wolfen, Boulevard Nights and Thief. Badami is the recipient of a Technical Achievement Award from AMPAS for the development of the Streamline Scoring System used in conjunction with film music recording. He is the father of two teenage children, Nick and Nina and grew up as a huge film fan in San Diego. "ACADEMY AWARD®" and "OSCAR®" are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." Official Web Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboys2/ Back to main movie page Showing Today at: Click here for other showings