Reardon’s exploits as the President of Sales and Distribution of Warner Brothers are legendary. He rode the lightning for 21 years from 1978 to 1999 and released some of the most groundbreaking films of all time. He served in the U.S. Army in Intelligence in Europe from 1953 to 1956 before making his way into the world of finance and then marketing with Paramount Pictures. He jumped over to Warner Brothers in 1978 and continued his upward climb. Here are some more top-level films he directed the distribution at Warner Brothers, and yes, Batman Returns was one of his releases as well.
The Matrix
The Matrix captured the attention of audiences, philosophers, technies, and critics across the board when it came out in 1999. It is likely one of the best science fiction action films of all time and spawned a franchise and sequels, even a reboot. The film was written and directed by the Wachowskis and stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano. The story is about a far future world where mankind is enslaved to machines and their minds are put into a computer program while their bodies are used to power the machines. There are a small few humans who are outside the false reality of the machine and computer world who battle against them. The film is a martial arts and action extravaganza, especially with the new “bullet time” sequence which was revolutionary for its time. It made $460M at the box office and won the four Oscars it was nominated for which are Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Editing. In 2012, the film was entered into the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy arrived on the screen just in time for Christmas of 1989. It is based on the play of the same name and was directed by Bruce Beresford. The movie stars Jesica Tandy, Morgan Freeman (USAF veteran) and Dan Ackroyd. Freeman played the same role he had done so in the Off-Broadway stage version. The story follows Daisy through her life and network of relationships. The film shows her life at home, in religion and with her family through many types of emotions. It spans 25 years of her character’s life. The film was nominated for nine Oscars and won four, Best Picture, Best Actress (Tandy), Best Makeup and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film grossed $145.8M at the box office against a budget of $7.5M.
Batman Returns
Batman Returns blazed on the silver screen in 1992 and was directed by Tim Burton. It was written by Daniel Waters and is based on the DC Comics superhero character. The film serves as a darker and more slick sequel to the 1989 Batman. The movie stars Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer and Chris….topher…Walk….en. Whoa! The story follows Batman (Keaton) as he trails The Penguin (DeVito) and the newly “born” Catwoman (Pfeiffer) across Gotham while dealing with the evil and rich Max Schreck (Walken, whoa!). The movie generated over $266M at the box office and the film did garner some award nominations. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects. It received a British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects as well. The movie spawned a sequel, Batman Forever, a video game, and tons of toys and merchandise.
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire tells the real-life story of two great British athletes who competed in the 1924 Olympics. The athletes, Eric Liddell, a Christian who runs for God’s Glory and Harold Abrahams, a Jewish man, who runs to overcome prejudice. The film stars Ben Cross as Abrahams and Ian Charleson as Liddell. It was directed by Hugh Hudson and written by Colin Welland. Some great actors on the British stage are in it as well including Ian Holm, John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson, Alice Krige and Kenneth Branagh, who makes his film debut. The film was nominated for seven Oscars and won four, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score.
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon attracted the audience and critics’ attention when it came out in 1987. It was directed by the top-notch Richard Donner, known for many hits from Warner Brothers such as Superman and The Goonies. The film was written by the young genius Shane Black, who had just graduated from UCLA. The movie stars Danny Glover, Mel Gibson, Gary Busey, Darlene Love and Mitchell Ryan. The story follows the lives of LAPD officers Martin Riggs (Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Glover) as they pursue a criminal kingpin with military ties across the Los Angeles cityscape. The movie was a box office hit at $120M and was nominated for one Oscar for Best Sound. Reardon lived an incredible life before passing away May 27, 2024, at his home in Vero Beach, Fla. He was 92.