Where in the Horror are they Now? Thomas Jane!

Last Updated on July 21, 2021

THOMAS JANE

THEN: There are some actors that are just the essence of badassdom. No matter what the role, no matter what the film, they just have this charisma. One such talent is Thomas Jane. Sure he can be funny, after all he spent a couple years starring in a comedy/drama series called Hung. Yet one thing the actor always seems to come back to is genre. The dude has appeared in a number of horror and sci-fi flicks starting very early in his career, all the way up to now. He apparently loves stepping into the darkness for a role, and I for one couldn’t be happier. Hell, I’d love to see Mr. Jane take on a straight up slasher flick aka Tom Atkins in MY BLOODY VALENTINE. In fact, let’s put these two into a big screen horror flick. The two dudes named Tom! In one flick! Okay, hold off on the casting notice for now and let’s take a look at the impressive career of the man with the last name Jane.

One of my favorite things about writing this particular column is getting a little reminder that some of the coolest genre talents were in movies I had no recollection of them being in. Jane is one such talent. While his first feature was a romantic flick called PADAMATI SANDHYA RAGAM in 1987, he was also featured in the ridiculous action movie NEMESIS with Olivier Gruner, he also had a part in the cult classic BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER with Kristy Swanson in 1992. After that he continued to do a few low budget flicks like I’LL LOVE YOU FOREVER… TONIGHT in 1992 and AT GROUND ZERO in 1994. He next appeared as Nemo in the less than stellar THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS in 1996.

1997 was a busy year for the actor. You could find him in the inside look at the porn industry that is BOOGIE NIGHTS. One of the coolest flicks ever. And yes, Jane was part of an already impressive cast which included John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds and Mark Wahlberg. That same year, the actor found himself in the middle of a FACE/OFF with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.The actor received impressive critical acclaim for his performance as Neal Cassidy in the bio pick THE LAST TIME I COMMITTED SUICIDE. He continued to take on intriguing indies like THE VELOCITY OF GARY (yet another look inside the world of porn) and the action comedy THURSDAY, both in 1988. And for all you Terrence Malick fans, you could find the actor in the middle of an already amazing cast in the 1998 war drama THE THIN RED LINE.

I should probably mention his appearance in MAGNOLIA (1999) and the sweet comedy MOLLY where he starred along with Elisabeth Shue in 1999. But you know what else happened that same year? DEEP BLUE SEA happened. When I first saw this ridiculous Renny Harlin shark flick, I was little annoyed. I was hoping for a scary sci-fi horror experience. I didn’t get that. However, upon repeated viewings, I’ve grown to love this action madness. And yes, Thomas Jane is the ultimate badass here, and frankly Saffron Burrows is pretty badass herself. This is the kind of genre flick that given the right mood it can be a whole lot of fun. Just don’t go in expecting JAWS… or even JAWS 2.

Since Thomas Jane has had a pretty varied career when it comes to comedy, drama and horror, let’s stick to the subject of at hand for a bit. In 2003, Jane joined Morgan Freeman, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis and Timothy Olyphant for DREAMCATCHER (adapted from Stephen King’s work). And in 2004, Jane rocked it as Frank Castle in THE PUNISHER. Unfortunately, the movie itself wasn’t what it could have been. And remember how I mentioned Jane should do a slasher flick? And the part about forgetting they were in something? Well we have THE TRIPPER in 2006. This was a surprisingly good horror satire directed by none other than David Arquette.

In 2007, this impressive actor really got to show off his skills. In yet another Stephen King adaptation, THE MIST slayed me on a number of levels. Jane plays a father trying to save his son from mysterious monsters that cower in the mist. As well, they must do battle with a religious zealot from hell, played brilliantly by Marcia Gay Harden. I love this movie. It is incredibly effective as a statement on how we are as a society, as well as a creepy f*cking monster flick. And how about that ending? The one that writer/director Frank Darabont changed? Well, I was a little annoyed because I didn’t feel it was quite earned. But you know what? Good on them for taking that kind of chance and going super dark. I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll never forget the first time I saw this flick. That messed me up.

Ever since THE MIST, Jane has been a familiar face in genre. He did the crime thriller KILLSHOT and MUTANT CHRONICLES in 2008. He starred in, as well as wrote and directed DARK COUNTRY in 2009. He joined my man Clifton Collins Jr. as the “vegan police” in SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD. He did that awesome short The Punisher: Dirty Laundry in 2012. There is LOL (2012), PAWN SHOW CHRONICLES (2013), WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD (2014), INTO THE GRIZZLY MAZE (2015) and so much more. The dude likes to act, and frankly, I love to see what he is up to. I really wish he would have had the proper Punisher movie of course.

NOW: This past year was a busy one for the actor. In 2016 he had a number of small flicks including STANDOFF, THE VEIL and the movie that I’ve really wanted to see, Mike Flanagan’s BEFORE I WAKE. Maybe 2017 will finally bring it to the light of day because unfortunately, that one was screwed over by studio complications and such. You could also find Jane once again appearing opposite Nicolas Cage in the war thriller USS INDIANAPOLIS: MEN OF COURAGE. Sure it wasn’t a horror flick, but if you aren’t familiar with the true story, there were a ton of sharks and that is scary enough for me.

According to IMDb, the actor has a few upcoming projects including A MAGNIFICENT DEATH FROM A SHATTERED HAND which is labeled as “in development.” And he also has HOT SUMMER NIGHTS and 1922 scheduled for this year. Hoping this is true, he is rumored to be making an appearance in the upcoming Shane Black sequel to PREDATOR… this time called THE PREDATOR. And frankly, I love the fact that we have someone like Thomas Jane who is seemingly so fond of all things genre. If you’d like to see what Mr. Jane is up to, you can find him on Twitter and Facebook. As a fan, I’m excited to see what is next for Mr. Jane when it comes to scaring the crap out of audiences – ah what the hell, I’m just excited to see whatever the hell he wants to do.