Trivia

He is a lifelong Batman fan and wanted to adapt Frank Miller's famous ''Batman: Year One'' comic but was forced by producers to make a lighter, more family friendly film.

On the interviews and audio commentary for the Batman & Robin (1997) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD released in 2005, he says that he was under pressure from toy companies and Warner Brothers management to deliver a family-friendly film and admits he went too far in that direction, but takes full responsibility for the end result and, at one point during the interviews, flat-out apologizes to fans that were disappointed.

Did not decide to pursue a career in film making until he was in his early thirties.

Worked as a designer and store window dresser for one of New York's fashionable stores before getting into films.

Michael Fassbender, whom he directed in Blood Creek (2009), said that Schumacher was one of his favourite directors.

Friends with David Fincher.

He was the first and only choice to direct The Phantom Of The Opera (2004) and had been since the project was first started. Andrew Lloyd Webber had chosen him after being impressed by his use of music in The Lost Boys (1987).

Worked in the Fashion Industry before pursuing film as a career.

Directed the music video "The End is the Beginning is the End" performed by The Smashing Pumpkins.

Directed the music video "Devil Inside" performed by INXS.

Stated in an interview with Variety magazine that 'Great Expectations (1946)' haunted him as a child and inspired him to be a director.

Directed one Oscar nominated performance: Susan Sarandon in The Client (1994).

Schumaker has cited David Lean's "Great Expectations" as having a tremendous influence on him.

Studied at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan and first worked in the film business as a costume designer.

Was originally attached to direct Runaway Jury (2003), having previously filmed two other John Grisham adaptations, The Client (1994) and A Time to Kill (1996).

He was the son of Marian (Kantor) and Francis W. "Frank" Schumacher. His father was from Knoxville, Tennessee, and had German and English ancestry. His mother was born in Illinois, to a Russian Jewish father and a Swedish Jewish mother (Joel's maternal grandparents had both lived in Sweden before coming to the U.S.).

Well before she became famous Schumacher shared an apartment with writer/journalist Liz Smith.

Long ago, attended Parsons School of Design at New School University (New York), and in 2006, bought condo practically around the corner in Greenwich Village's popular 25 Fifth Avenue apartment building.

Was originally set to direct Bright Lights, Big City (1988), with Tom Cruise in the starting role, but both of them left the project due to production delays.

Turned down an offer to direct Less Than Zero (1987).

Shares a birthday with directors Lord Richard Attenborough and William Friedkin.

Judgment day from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) occurred on his 58th birthday.