Olivier Megaton (born Olivier Fontana; 6 August 1965) is a French director, writer, and editor who directed the films The Red Siren, Transporter 3, Colombiana, Taken 2 and Taken 3.
Early life Fontana was born in Paris, 20 years to the day after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and his choice of the artistic name Megaton was influenced by this. He grew up in a Paris banlieue, and after qualifying for a diploma in psychology, was active as a graphic artist and also adept in graffiti art. After meeting music video director Jean-Baptiste Mondino, he started working in films. Fontana first started making shorts and video clips before finally directing feature films.
He is of Italian descent.
Career Megaton's first film was Exit, released in 2000. He next directed The Red Siren, Transporter 3, Taken 2 and Taken 3. He was chosen to direct Mathilda, the sequel to Léon, but expressed the opinion that the film was unlikely to be made. He also served as a second unit director for the film Hitman. His trademark technique in film directing involves intentionally disorienting camerawork and editing.
Aside from filmmaking, Megaton is also a published author after his novel, entitled Le Facteur humain ("The Human Factor"), was released in 1998. In 2021, he returned to film production to release a Netflix documentary entitled Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan; the documentary received criticism shortly after release for stigmatizing dissociative identity disorder.
Filmography Feature films Director Exit (2000) The Red Siren (2002) (Also writer) Transporter 3 (2008) Colombiana (2011) Taken 2 (2012) Taken 3 (2014) The Last Days of American Crime (2020)
Second unit director Hitman (2007)
Short films Year TitleDirectorWriter Notes 1996 Hard Head 1997 Tout morose 1998 No Happy End Je ne veux pas être sage Also editor 2002 Chrysalis Documentary short 2007 Angie
Television Year TitleDirectorWriter 1997 One Dance, One Song 1999 Histoires d'objets Chambre n° 13 2001 Les redoutables 2006 Sable noir 2021 Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan
References
External links Olivier Megaton Official Website