Writer/director/producer Chris Columbus has been involved in some of the most beloved movies of all-time, and he is certainly no stranger to adapting popular novels into extremely successful films. Columbus began his career as a writer penning the scripts for classic ‘80s films like Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes. He made his directorial debut in 1987 with the comedy Adventures in Babysitting, and went on to helm such extremely successful films as Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Stepmom. But no matter what else he achieves in his career, Columbus will always be remembered as the man who first brought Harry Potter to the big screen with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and its sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Since leaving the Potter series Columbus has only directed three films, (Rent, I Love You, Beth Cooper, and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) and has instead chosen to concentrate on producing films with his production company, the aptly named 1492 Pictures. The list of popular titles that the company has produced in recent years includes Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Night at the Museum, and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. But now Columbus and 1492 Pictures return with a new film that is also based on an extremely popular novel entitled The Help, which opens in theaters on August 10th.