Guy Ritchie Net Worth

How much is Stephen Sommers’ net worth?

net worth: $20 million
age: 62
Birth: March 20, 1962
gender: Male
Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
country of origin: United States
Source of funds: Film director
Last Updated: August 18, 2024

Introduction

Stephen Sommers is an American film director and screenwriter who has an estimated net worth of $20 million.

Sommers is best known for big-budget films such as ‘The Mummy’, its sequel ‘The Mummy Returns’, ‘Van Helsing’ and ‘GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra’. Sommers has also directed Disney’s live-action version of ‘Adventures of Huck Finn’ and Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’.

Early Life

Stephen Sommers was born on March 20, 1962 in Minnesota.

Somers attended St. Cloud Apollo High School. In 1980, she graduated from St. John’s University in Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree.

After graduating, Somers spent four years acting in theater groups.

Livelihood

Stephen Sommers made his reputation by writing and directing an adaptation of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huck Finn” for Walt Disney Pictures.

He also directed an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” for Disney and wrote the screenplays for “Gunmen” and “Tom and Huck.”

Somers was executive producer of the film “Tom and Huck,” also from Disney, starring Brad Renfro, Rachael Leigh Cook and Eric Schweig.

He worked as a staff writer at Hollywood Pictures, where he developed a script called “Tentacle”, which was later adapted.

Sommers directed the 1998 film “Deep Rising,” based on his “Tentacle” screenplay and starring Treat Williams and Famke Janssen.

The film received three nominations for “Best DVD/Blu-ray Classic Film Release”, “International Film Music Critics Awards” (IFMCA), and “Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film”.

Winning two Saturn Award nominations

In 1999, he wrote and directed a remake of “The Mummy” for Universal Studios, which was a commercial success and for which Sommers received two Saturn Award nominations.

He was nominated for Best Director and Best Writer in 2000 and was hired to direct the successful sequel, “The Mummy Returns”, in 2001.

Somers co-wrote and produced “The Scorpion King” in 2002, a prequel/spin-off to “The Mummy Returns,” starring Kelly Hu, Michael Clarke Duncan and Steven Brand.

In 2004, he founded The Somers Company with editor/producing partner Bob Ducasse and directed “Van Helsing,” a 2004 take on the iconic Universal Movie Monsters.

Before “Van Helsing” premiered, Somers and Ducasse began developing a spin-off TV series called “Transylvania” for NBC, anticipating its popularity with audiences.

Somers wrote the scripts for the pilot and early episodes of “Transylvania,” but unfortunately, NBC did not pick up the show.

He was originally supposed to direct “Night at the Museum” but dropped out before Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson made it a hit.

Guide to success and failure

Steven Spielberg hired Somers as executive producer for a remake of “When Worlds Collide,” but the film did not come to fruition.

He was involved in developing the new big screen adaptation of “Flash Gordon” and worked on an adventure film called “Airborne” based on the novel.

Following this, he developed a romantic/adventure story called “Big Love” and was also involved in the remake of the French film “Les Victimes”.

For unknown reasons he decided not to direct “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” but instead serve as one of its producers.

Sommers then directed and served as producer on the 2009 live-action adaptation of “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” for Paramount Pictures.

He developed an adaptation of Tarzan for Warner Bros., but abandoned the project before he began his most recent film, “Odd Thomas.”

Unfortunately, the film, starring Willem Dafoe, faced release delays due to lawsuits against the production company over marketing, distribution, and repayment of production debts.

Small budget film a success at Cannes

Somers’ first feature film was “Catch Me If You Can”, a teen racing movie independently funded with $800,000 and filmed in his hometown of St. Cloud.

“Catch Me If You Can” was sold at the Cannes Film Festival for $7 million and was later released on video in the U.S.

Stephen wrote and executive produced the 1997 TV movie “Oliver Twist,” starring Elijah Wood, Richard Dreyfuss and Alex Trench.

Somers directed the short film “Perfect Alibi” in 1988, which won fourth prize at the Focus Awards and was the first of the “time-loop” films.

The film focuses on a pickpocket who is pushed into an endless cycle of time to commit a theft.

He then served as executive producer of the 2004 short film “Van Helsing: The London Assignment”, starring Hugh Jackman and David Wenham.

Winning the Egor Prize

Somers was the executive producer of “The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption”, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “The Scorpion King: Book of Souls”.

He produced “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior” in 2008 but was not credited.

Somers won an Eyegore Award in 1999 and was executive producer of the TV series “The Mummy”, which aired between 2001 and 2003.

In 2010, he was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director for “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”.

Estimated Net Worth

Stephen Sommers’ net worth is estimated to be around $20 million.

Highlights

Here are some of the best highlights of Stephen Sommers’ career:

  • The Scorpion King (film, 2002)
  • Van Helsing (film, 2004)
  • The Mummy (film, 2009)

Summary

Stephen Sommers is an American screenwriter and director. After graduating from college, Sommers spent four years performing as an actor in theater groups and managing rock bands throughout Europe.

He then moved to Los Angeles and studied at the USC School of Cinema-Television for three years.

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