Director David R. Ellis has died suddenly in Johannesburg, South Africa. The cause of death is not yet known. Ellis was in South Africa preparing to direct the live-action adaptation of the 1998 Japanese anime
Kite, which he would have re-teamed with Samuel L Jackson on. He had also been tapped to direct the horror flick
Sprawl
Ellis was born in Los Angeles on September 10, 1952, and began his career as an actor, then stuntman and stunt coordinator. He moved on to helm second unit scenes on the likes of
The Matrix Reloaded and
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, before directing
Final Destination 2 in 2003,
Cellular in 2004 and
Snakes On A Plane in 2006. He then went on to direct
Asylum in 2008,
The Final Destination in 2009 and
Shark Night 3D in 2011. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.