Jamie Christopher, Assistant Director for Marvel, Rian Johnson, Harry Potter Films, Dies at 52

Jamie Christopher, assistant director on Marvel films including “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the entire Harry Potter franchise, died Tuesday in Los Angeles from heart complications. He was 52.

During his nearly three-decade career, Christopher became a frequent collaborator with directors like James Gunn and Rian Johnson along with Marvel Studio’s Kevin Feige.

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“Jamie was a good friend, and he loved making movies,” Rian Johnson said in a statement. He first worked with Christopher on “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and later on “Knives Out.” “He loved his crew, loved his job, the process of it and the history of it. He was truly one of the greats, and this is a heartbreaking loss for everyone who was lucky enough to work with him.”

Christopher began his AD career in 1992 as third AD on David Fincher’s 1992 film “Alien 3.” In 1997, he was the second unit first AD on Luc Besson’s cult classic sci-fi film “The Fifth Element” starring Bruce Wilis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich, and two years later joined Stephen Sommers as second AD on “The Mummy.”

Soon after, Christopher joined production for the first installment of the Harry Potter franchise, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” where he served as the second unit’s first AD. He reprised this role through the first five editions of the series until he became first AD on “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and remained in that role until the eighth film was released in 2011.

He then worked on James Gunn’s 2014 “Guardians of the Galaxy” along with other films from Marvel including “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Thor: The Dark World” and “Black Widow,” and had been ready to start work on “Fantastic Four.”

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito said in a statement, “We are incredibly saddened by Jamie’s passing. He has been a part of the Marvel Studios team for over a decade, and on productions like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ ‘Black Widow’ and more he was a calm presence behind the camera, and a wonderful, supportive crew member on set. Jamie first joined Marvel Studios as an AD on ‘Thor: The Dark World’ and because of his hard work and diligence was upped to an Executive Producer on ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ and the upcoming ‘Fantastic Four.’ Jamie was a beloved member of our Marvel Studios family, and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.”

Christopher is survived by his wife Carly and their children Killeon and Jasmine, as well as his son Teddy and daughters Ophelia and Stella.

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