Joe Cornish

Biography:

Joseph Murray Cornish (born 20 December 1968) is an English filmmaker and comedian. He is best known as one half of the comedy duo Adam and Joe, alongside Adam Buxton. Cornish made his feature directing debut in 2011 with Attack the Block. He also co-wrote The Adventures of Tintin with Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright, and contributed to the screenplay for Ant-Man with Wright, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd.

Cornish studied at the independent Westminster School in London, where he befriended Adam Buxton and Louis Theroux. At 18, he continued his studies at Bournemouth Film School.

The Adam and Joe Show—created, written, performed, and directed by Cornish and Buxton—was an ironic take on pop culture. It gained a cult following over its four-series run from 1996 to 2001. Popular segments included stuffed-toy recreations of blockbuster films, Star Wars action figure parodies of British TV shows, and “Vinyl Justice,” where the duo raided musicians’ homes to expose embarrassing records in their collections.

After the show ended, Cornish remained active on British television and radio as a presenter, writer, and director. He hosted BBC Radio 4’s film programme Back Row from 2002 to 2003, and in 2001 co-hosted the topical discussion series This Week Only with Nick Frost and Lauren Laverne.

In 2007, Cornish and Buxton launched the Adam and Joe radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music. The show paused in 2010 while Cornish filmed Attack the Block, returning in April 2011.

Cornish has produced numerous behind-the-scenes documentaries and video diaries. These include coverage of Little Britain Series 2 for BBC Three, a diary of his zombie cameo for the Shaun of the Dead DVD, and Hot Fuzz: The Fuzzball Rally, where he followed Edgar Wright, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg on the U.S. press tour for Hot Fuzz. Two versions were released: a 28-minute cut for the HD DVD and a 71-minute cut for the Collector’s Edition and Blu-ray, which prompted the latter’s age rating to be increased due to strong language.

Cornish also made cameo appearances in Hot Fuzz as a masked crime-scene officer named Bob, and in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) alongside Wright, both portraying Resistance fighters.

He was announced in 2006 as co-writer for a film adaptation of Marvel’s Ant-Man, collaborating with Edgar Wright. Although Wright left the project in 2014, both he and Cornish retained story and screenplay credits. Cornish and Wright also revised Steven Moffat’s script for The Adventures of Tintin for Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. In 2013, Cornish was rumored to be J.J. Abrams’ top choice to direct Star Trek Beyond, though the job first went to Roberto Orci, who later stepped down.

Cornish continued working in TV comedy, directing parts of the pilot for Modern Toss and the pilot for Channel 4’s Blunder, though he later exited the project due to creative disagreements. In early 2007, he directed the music video for Charlotte Hatherley’s “I Want You to Know.”

On 13 May 2011, Cornish’s debut feature Attack the Block was released by Optimum Releasing, with Edgar Wright as executive producer and backing from Film4, Big Talk Pictures, the UK Film Council, and StudioCanal. The sci-fi action horror comedy follows a South London youth gang defending their neighborhood from alien creatures. After a strong response at SXSW, Screen Gems acquired U.S. distribution rights for a July 2011 release.

In June 2012, Paramount Pictures hired Cornish to direct a film adaptation of Neal Stephenson’s cyberpunk novel Snow Crash. In 2020, he was announced as writer and director of Netflix’s Lockwood & Co. series. In 2021, he was confirmed to write and direct adaptations of Starlight for 20th Century Studios and to return for an Attack the Block sequel. In October 2024, Cornish was revealed as the director of one of Universal Pictures’ upcoming live-action LEGO films, also tasked with revising earlier scripts by Heather Anne Campbell and Simon Rich. Plans for the following year included directing a live-action adaptation of The Dreamstone in Victoria, Australia.