John Hyams

John Hyams (born December 19, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, best known for his involvement in the "Universal Soldier" series, for which he has directed two installments. Hyams is the son of director Peter Hyams. Hyams graduated from Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing Arts, becoming a noted painter and sculptor exhibiting and selling work in New York and Los Angeles. He became known in Hollywood in 1997 after writing, producing, and directing the critically acclaimed "One Dog Day." The film debuted at the Taos Talking Picture Film Festival. After that, Hyams directed several documentaries, most notably "The Smashing Machine" (2002), which follows the life of fighter Mark Kerr. Hyams also directed several episodes of ABC Television's "NYPD Blue." In 2009, Hyams directed the franchise reboot "Universal Soldier: Regeneration," with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, which was shot mostly in Bulgaria on a budget of $9 million. In 2012, he wrote and directed the sequel "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning," which also featured Van Damme and Lundgren. It was shot in 3D with a budget of $8 million. Hyams has since gone on to work in the horror genre, directing the films "Alone" (2020) and "Sick" (2022), the latter of which features a script by Kevin Williamson.

Works

Teacup

Trapped on a farm in rural Georgia, a group of neighbours must put aside their differences and unite in the face of a mysterious and deadly threat.

Release Date: 2024-10-10

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 133

The Recruit

Recruited out of law school by the CIA, a daredevil young attorney leaps unprepared into the dangerous world of international espionage.

Release Date: 2022-12-16

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 345

Sick

While quarantining at her family's lake house during the pandemic, Parker and her best friend are threatened by an unexpected visitor.

Release Date: 2022-09-11

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 275

Chucky

After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies — and allies — from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins.

Release Date: 2021-10-12

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 4070

Alone

A recently widowed traveler is kidnapped by a cold blooded killer, only to escape into the wilderness where she is forced to battle against the elements as her pursuer closes in on her.

Release Date: 2020-09-10

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 748

The Art of Action

International action star Scott Adkins talks with some of the world's most renowned names in the action and martial arts film industry to discover what it takes to make good action movies and how to film fights.

Release Date: 2020-06-28

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 5

Black Summer

In the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, complete strangers band together to find the strength they need to survive and get back to loved ones.

Release Date: 2019-04-11

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 533

Roswell, New Mexico

After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer—he’s an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.

Release Date: 2019-01-15

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 427

Legacies

In a place where young witches, vampires, and werewolves are nurtured to be their best selves in spite of their worst impulses, Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson, Alaric Saltzman’s twins, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman, among others, come of age into heroes and villains at The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted.

Release Date: 2018-10-25

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 2928

The Rookie

Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis.

Release Date: 2018-10-16

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 2276

All Square

A down-on-his-luck bookie befriends an ex-girlfriend’s son and gets the bright idea to take bets on his youth league baseball games; only to realize he’s killed what’s pure about the sport as the games turn ugly when money is on the line.

Release Date: 2018-10-12

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 17

12 Deadly Days

In the cursed town of Saturn, CA, during the 12 days leading up to Christmas, watch these interconnected tales showing the town's residents dealing will all kinds of evil.

Release Date: 2016-12-12

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 38

Skin Trade

After his family is killed by a Serbian gangster with international interests. NYC detective Nick goes to S.E. Asia and teams up with a Thai detective to get revenge and destroy the syndicates human trafficking network.

Release Date: 2014-11-07

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 272

Z Nation

Three years after the zombie virus has gutted the country, a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood.

Release Date: 2014-09-12

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 5

Vote Count: 873

Chicago P.D.

A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city's street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.

Release Date: 2014-01-08

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 5

Vote Count: 2440

Enemies Closer

After a major shipment of drugs goes missing on the US-Canadian border, forest ranger and former Navy SEAL Henry is plunged into survival mode when the drug cartel forces him to help retrieve the downed package. Trapped in the wilderness with no communication to the outside world, Henry finds himself face to face with Clay, a man with a personal vendetta against Henry who has returned for retribution. Now, the two mortal enemies must make a choice: put aside their past and work together, or die alone at the hands of the drug runners, a ruthless gang who will stop at nothing to retrieve their lost cargo.

Release Date: 2013-12-04

Department: Editing

Job: Editor

Vote Count: 186

The Originals

A spin-off from The Vampire Diaries and set in New Orleans, The Originals centers on the Mikaelson siblings, otherwise known as the world's original vampires: Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Now Klaus must take down his protégé, Marcel, who is now in charge of New Orleans, in order to re-take his city, as he originally built New Orleans. Klaus departed from the city after being chased down by his father Mikael, while it was being constructed and Marcel took charge. As Klaus has returned after many years, his ego has provoked him to become the king of the city. "Every King needs an heir" says Klaus, accepting the unborn child. The child is a first to be born to a hybrid and a werewolf.

Release Date: 2013-10-03

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 3392

Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4

Feature length candid look into the making of the film "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning."

Release Date: 2013-01-22

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Character: Self

Chicago Fire

An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America's noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death.

Release Date: 2012-10-10

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 2236

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

After his wife and daughter are murdered in a home invasion, a widower named John now finds himself up against an army of Universal Soldiers in relentless pursuit, led by a mysterious leader who promises to set UniSols free from their conditioning.

Release Date: 2012-10-04

Department: Writing

Job: Story

Vote Count: 436

Dragon Eyes

In St. Jude, drug dealers and corrupt cops have destroyed an urban neighborhood. But newcomer, Hong, has the fighting skills and moral vision to save this town from itself.

Release Date: 2012-05-10

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 185

The Ignorant Bliss of Sun and Moon

A lyrical tale about a down and out everyman struggling to hang onto the fleeting moments of bliss that make life worth living.

Release Date: 2010-01-02

Department: Editing

Job: Editor

Vote Count: 1

Universal Soldier: Regeneration

When terrorists threaten nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl, the world's only hope is to reactivate decommissioned Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux. Rearmed and reprogrammed, Deveraux must take on his nemesis from the original Universal Soldier and a next-generation "UniSol" that seems almost unstoppable.

Release Date: 2009-10-01

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 464

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Remake of a 1956 Fritz Lang film in which a novelist's investigation of a dirty district attorney leads to a setup within the courtroom.

Release Date: 2009-02-05

Department: Production

Job: Associate Producer

Vote Count: 311

The Razzle Dazzle

Short film by John Hyams.

Release Date: 2009-01-01

Department: Production

Job: Co-Producer

Bull Sessions: The Making of ‘Rank’

A look behind the scenes at the making-of the bull riding documentary ‘Rank’.

Release Date: 2006-06-28

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Rank

Seven days, 45 finalists, one World Champion. Shot on location in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rank takes us from the ranch to the arena for the struggle of the three highest-ranking bull riders competing for the title of PBR World Champion. The three contenders: Justin McBride, a third generation bull rider; Mike Lee, 21 year-old born-again Christian and 34 year-old Brazilian Adriano Moraes, already a two-time PBR World Champion, who has been riding since the age of 18 and is now in the twilight of his bull riding career. This documentary brings the reality of this hazardous sport into focus for the first time. From preparations to ride through severe injuries and finally, victory for one: a gold belt buckle and a check for one million dollars.

Release Date: 2006-01-01

Department: Directing

Job: Director

A Sound of Thunder

When a hunter sent back to the prehistoric era runs off the path he must not leave, he causes a chain reaction that alters history in disastrous ways.

Release Date: 2005-05-15

Character: Delivery Man

Vote Count: 393

Fight Day

A fly-on-the-wall account of a Mixed Martial Arts fighter preparing for and engaging in battle, as seen through the eyes of Brazilian Jui-Jitsu legend Renzo Gracie.

Release Date: 2003-10-28

Department: Editing

Job: Editor

The Smashing Machine

A stunning and provocative look at Mark Kerr's career from late '99 through the 2000 Pride Grand Prix, fighting with his own personal demons that rival the men he encounters in the ring.

Release Date: 2002-05-01

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 9

One Dog Day

This film spans one hot day in New York and follows the lives of many of its inhabitants as they go about their business.

Release Date: 1997-11-30

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Narrow Margin

An L.A. District Attorney attempts to take an unwilling murder witness back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Frantically attempting to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her, they board a Vancouver-bound train only to discover that the killers are onboard with them. For the next 20 hours, as the train hurls through the beautiful but isolated Canadian wilderness, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues in which their ability to tell friend from foe is a matter of life and death.

Release Date: 1990-09-21

Department: Camera

Job: Grip

Vote Count: 200