With box office success already on his resume, BW alum Steven Caple Jr. '10 has an even brighter future as one of Hollywood's go-to filmmakers, spanning both film and television.
After graduating from Baldwin Wallace with a B.A. in film studies and marketing, Caple went on to direct big-budget films, including "Creed II" and "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," each becoming a box-office success.
The recently released Netflix series "Man on Fire" sees Caple serve as both a series executive producer under his Grey Skies production company and the director of the action-packed show's first two episodes. With over 61 million hours viewed in its first four days, the show debuted as the streamer's number-one series.
In a recent interview with Blavity, Caple credited his early work with the television show "grown-ish," for being able to transition from studio films to an episodic series.
"It gave me a different perspective," he said. "I was like, ‘Oh this is interesting to oversee a whole entire series.' You know, when you are on a film, you only got an hour and a half, two hours to really tell a whole entire story, where a series, you're doing eight episodes and you want people to be invested enough to continue to go on even for multiple seasons. That's a challenge in itself."
Caple isn't backing down from any challenges soon, as reports have him attached to two big projects on the horizon. First is the screen adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book, "Ghost Fleet," under his Grey Skies banner. The project is the first under Caple's new first-look deal at Paramount, based on the comic book created by Donny Cates with art by Daniel Warren Johnson.
Perhaps the biggest project on the slate for Caple is the long-anticipated sequel to 2007's "I Am Legend." Long rumored for production, with numerous A-list directors attached over the years, the film is now in development with stars Will Smith and Oscar-winner Michael B. Jordan. In a recent interview with The Playlist's Bingeworthy TV podcast, Caple said he became interested in the sequel after reading screenwriter Akiva Goldsman's script.
"It was one of those things where I wanted to say no, because I was hoping that there was no story left, no meat on the bones," Caple recalled. "But knowing Akiva, knowing the parties behind it, they created something really cool and special. I'm like, yeah, ‘I would love to see this.'"
While the long-rumored film is still in development with virtually no insight into storylines, Caple told the podcast he's excited about the film's possibilities. "I can't give you any of the plot, can't give you anything, really," Caple added. "But ultimately, it's a really good film — Akiva Goldsman's writing. Talented writer. I mean, it's Akiva."
In the meantime, Caple's work on "Man on Fire" is paying dividends, topping the streamer's global charts and helping pave the way for him to continue making big splashes in both film and television.
