Niall Johnson

Niall’s career as a Writer and Director spans 30 years. After a decade making no-to-low budget movies he came to the industry’s notice in 2003 with his spec supernatural thriller script WHITE NOISE, produced by Gold Circle Films and Universal Pictures, starring Michael Keaton and directed by Geoffrey Sax. It opened in January 2005 at #1 in the UK and #2 in the US

That same year, Niall directed black comedy KEEPING MUM, starring Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Patrick Swayze, for producers Julia Palau and Summit Entertainment. He wrote the script with Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Richard Russo (Nobody’s Fool, Empire Falls). “A sophisticated gem” (Hollywood Reporter). “One of the best British film comedies in recent years” (The Times). “Wickedly wonderful entertainment!” (The Sun).

Niall’s 2015’s true story weepie family drama MUM’S LIST starred Rafe Spall and Emilia Fox. After its theatrical run it reached #1 on the Amazon DVD/Blu-Ray bestsellers chart on release day Official Selection at the Dinard Festival of British Film, at Shanghai, at the Heartland Film Festival, USA (where it won the Audience Award), and at the Festival of British Film at D’Ajaccio in Corsica (winning the main Prize Coup de Couer). “Powerful and beautifully acted” (Mail on Sunday). “Beautifully crafted, staggeringly moving” (Flickreel). “A triumph” (HeyUGuys).

Niall’s 2017 Western-styled New Zealand historical adventure THE STOLEN was co-written with its producer Emily Corcoran, and starred Alice Eve, Jack Davenport, Graham McTavish and Richard O’Brien. It was released in the US by Universal, and enjoyed a successful 16-week theatrical run in New Zealand. “A heart-wrenching, thrilling adventure” (Blazing Minds). “Pick of the week” (Hello)

Niall’s latest film as director is family fantasy adventure LEGEND HAS IT, featuring British stalwarts Rupert Everett, Tamsin Greig and Emilia Fox among a cast of emerging new talent, including Harry Gilby, Robyn Cara and Georgina Sadler. It premiered at the 25^th Beverly Hills Film Festival, winning Best Producer Award—and has continued to win awards on its festival run throughout 2025. “A fabulous, epic, old-school escapist romp.” (whatmovie.co.uk). “Captivating and delightful… joyous and cinematic” (Fanboy Nation). “Enchanting…full of magic, mystery and heart” (Cambridge Film Festival).

For television, Niall was Lead Director on 6 out of 10 episodes of new cozy-crime TV series THE SUNSHINE MURDERS for Cork Films and Reel One Entertainment. Starring Emily Corcoran, Dora Chrysikou, Marina Sirtis and Peter Andre, with guest appearances from the likes of Nina Wadia, Nick Moran, Stephanie Beacham, Camilla Rutherford and Alexander Vlahos. It screened Autumn of 2025 in the UK on Channel 5 and in the US on UPtv.

Niall is attached to direct a number of films, including: sci-fi drama HUMANOID for Ivan Mactaggart, Cambridge Picture Company, and Dimension Studios; young-adult thriller ASSASSIN ACADEMY and Rom-Com TEMPUS FUGIT for Tom George, Happy Hour Productions; supernatural drama THE STROMA SESSIONS for Moo Studios; heist comedy-drama PARKIES for Latigo Films; movie-business comedy-drama  CATCH A FALLING STAR for Paul Iacovou and Green Olive Films; and KIKA-MAMA-YAYA, a family drama spanning the 1930s-80s, for producer Chantelle de Carvalho.

Niall began writing and directing movies in the UK at the end of the 1980s, after graduating from Bristol University. He started with a run of low budget features, including vampire romance DAWN (1991), and wife-swapping comedy drama THE BIG SWAP (theatrically released in the UK in 1998 by Film Four)—which won Critic’s Choice at the 1999 Rotterdam Film Festival. “Unmissable” (Daily Star), “one of the year’s gems” (Cosmopolitan), and “a tour de force” (Seattle Weekly). Niall followed that with traditional haunted house tale THE GHOST OF GREVILLE LODGE (1999, starring Prunella Scales and George Cole), which has become a Halloween/Christmas season favourite on TV channels around the world: “a golden film in an era that has lost its shine” (IMDB).

Born and raised in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, England, Niall’s passion for movies is a result of a childhood spent producing epic remakes of the likes of PLANET OF THE APES, STAR TREK, DOCTOR WHO and BATMAN with his older brother and a silent Kodak 8mm film camera—the most notable recurring feature of these being his mother’s laundry hanging on the washing line in the back-yard!