Jeremy Thomas, one of the most iconic indie film producers of all time, has died at 77. Best known for his Oscar-winning work on the film The Last Emperor, which centered on Pu Yi (John Lone), the last emperor of China, and followed the events of his reign through the course of the revolution that rocked the country to its core, Thomas also founded the Recorded Picture Company and co-founded Hanway Films. According to his publicist, Thomas passed away peacefully in Oxfordshire, surrounded by his loved ones, on Friday, September 11th.
The list of film credits to his name is nothing short of legendary, including indie horror gems like David Cronenberg’s Crash, the erotic film that tells the story of the victim of a car accident who goes on to become turned on by crashes, which is often cited as the director’s most divisive film, and the contemporary Gothic romance Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. Speaking on her relationship with Thomas, Swinton said he was a “dream producer.” The list of directors that Thomas worked with over his long-spanning career is one certainly worth mentioning, including names such as Jim Jarmusch, Werner Herzog, Terry Gilliam, Takashi Miike, Stephen Frears, David Mackenzie, Richard Linklater, Karel Reisz, Phillip Noyce, and Ben Wheatley, among many more.
There’s Still More To Be Seen From Jeremy Thomas
Despite the producer’s tragic passing, one piece of his legacy remains for fans to look forward to. Thomas teamed up once again with director Takashi Miike, this time for Bad Lieutenant Tokyo, the third installment in the cult classic Bad Lieutenant franchise. The movie will star Lily James and Shun Oguri and centers on a Tokyo cop hounded by his gambling addiction and an FBI agent’s search for a missing politician’s daughter. As the two try to work together, a serial killer begins to lurk in the criminal underworld, throwing a wrench into their plans and watching their every move. The movie is slated to premiere in Toronto on Sept. 14.
Back in 2006, the producer received a European Film Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema, and his life has also served as the inspiration for multiple documentaries. In 2021, Mark Cousins released The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, a documentary that told the story of Thomas’s numerous trips to the festival and his work as a producer. Thomas also featured in Luca Guadagnino’s documentary Joie De Vivre, which premiered in Venice, about the art and life of filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, with whom Thomas worked over the course of nearly two decades and on five feature films. Over the course of his life, Thomas helped create 80 films, all the while championing the art of indie filmmaking.