Gerard Johnstone
New Zealand filmmaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gerard Johnstone is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is known for the comedy sitcom series The Jaquie Brown Diaries and the horror films Housebound, M3GAN and M3GAN 2.0.
Gerard Johnstone | |
|---|---|
| Born | Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Johnstone was born in 1976 in Invercargill, New Zealand,[1] where he attended Verdon College.[2]
Career
In the early 2000s, Johnstone and Jaquie Brown worked together at C4. A few years later, they created a production company, Young, Gifted & Brown, to make the New Zealand sitcom The Jaquie Brown Diaries, based on a satirical fictionalised version of Brown. It began airing in 2008 with Johnstone serving as writer and director.[3][4]
In March 2014, Johnstone made his directorial debut with Housebound at the South by Southwest festival.[5] The comedy horror film was released on 17 October 2014 in select theatres and VOD.[6] The following year, Johnstone approached New Zealand weightlifter Sonia Manaena, who set the world record in 2013 for deadlifting, about directing a film detailing her life being a competitive weightlifter.[7] Filming was scheduled to begin in 2016,[7] but as of 2023 Johnstone said, "It's been cooking in the background for a long time".[8]
In 2016, he released Terry Teo, a reboot of the 1985 television series, Terry and the Gunrunners.[9] By August 2017, Johnstone was reported to be in the running to direct Warner Bros.' Dark Universe, but instead was hired to polish the script.[10]
Johnstone directed episodes of the first season of The New Legends of Monkey, airing in 2018.[11] That same year, he signed on to direct the comedy horror film, M3GAN.[12] Producer James Wan chose Johnstone for the job after admiring his ability to balance horror and comedy elements in Housebound.[13] M3GAN was released in January 2023 to commercial and critical success. It grossed over $30 million on its opening weekend and garnered positive reviews.[14][15]
He co-wrote and directed the sequel, M3GAN 2.0, that released in June 2025.[16] The film was less commercially successful than its predecessor, grossing $39 million worldwide, though it later achieved better performance on streaming platforms.[15] That same month Johnstone signed on to direct Universal Pictures' live-action Monster High film.[17]
Personal life
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Housebound | Yes | Yes | Also editor |
| 2022 | M3GAN | Yes | No | |
| 2025 | M3GAN 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Also executive producer |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | The Jaquie Brown Diaries | Yes | Yes | Creator; also edited 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Terry Teo | Yes | Yes | Directed 6 episodes; wrote 4 episodes |
| 2018 | The New Legends of Monkey | Yes | No | 6 episodes; also executive producer |
