Michael S. Murphey is a Cape Town-based American feature-film and television producer who began his career in Hollywood in the early 1980s. His credits include District 9, Dredd 3D, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddie's Revenge, From Dust Till Dawn II & III, and the TV series SAF3. The hugely successful District 9 was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar at the 2010 Academy Awards; Dredd was the first 3D feature film shot in Africa and the very first film shot at the Cape Town Film Studios. Michael first came to South Africa in 1994, where over the next decade he produced several films including projects with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. In 2004 Michael returned to South Africa and for two years served as the representative of the completion bond company, Film Finances, on numerous large-budget feature films shot in Sub-Saharan Africa. Now a permanent resident of South Africa, Michael is the owner of Kalahari Pictures, a Cape Town-based film company that has serviced and co-produced a number of film and TV projects in South Africa. Formed in 2002, Kalahari Pictures has grown it into one of Africa's leading production companies, with a track record that includes global blockbusters, Oscar nominees, and Emmy winners. Michael is a founding director of the non-profit organization, The Young Filmmakers Programme, which works to support and promote South Africa's next generation of storytellers and filmmakers, as wells as DOCi Emerging Filmmakers Programme, which runs an Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking course in conjunction with the US Consulate and its American Corner. He is also a founder and board member of the Documentary Institute of South Africa.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Producer and writer
- 19 on Motif · 24 credits in all
Known for
What are Michael S. Murphey's films like?
Across their 19 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
Genres
Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 10
A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 6 · Dark 3
Grounded 7 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 3
Gentle 2 · Charged 8 · Intense 7
Steady 7 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 4
A split, not a type: Casual 9 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 4
Resolved 16 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael S. Murphey's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 19 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).
- District 9 (2009) · producer · free
- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) · actor, producer · free
- The Pirates of Somalia (2017) · producer · free
- Stone of Destiny (2008) · producer · free
- The Boys Next Door (1985) · producer · free
- The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006) · producer · free
- Sometimes They Come Back (1991) · producer · free
- The Triangle (2005) · producer · free
- Avenging Angel (1985) · producer · free
- The Redemption: Kickboxer 5 (1995) · producer · free
- SAF3 (2013) · producer · free
- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) · actor, producer · free
- The Pirates of Somalia (2017) · producer · free
- The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006) · producer · free
- Sometimes They Come Back (1991) · producer · free
- The Triangle (2005) · producer · free
- Avenging Angel (1985) · producer · free
- From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (1999) · producer · free
- From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999) · producer · free
- Dredd (2012) · producer · free
- The Pirates of Somalia (2017) · producer · free
- Stone of Destiny (2008) · producer · free
- The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006) · producer · free
- The Triangle (2005) · producer · free
- The Redemption: Kickboxer 5 (1995) · producer · free
- SAF3 (2013) · producer · free
- ViX, show their 2 titles on ViX
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- Midnight Pulp, show their title on Midnight Pulp
- MovieSphere+, show their title on MovieSphere+
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
- Sony Pictures Core, show their title on Sony Pictures Core
- Wonder Project, show their title on Wonder Project
Subscription and free streaming for Michael S. Murphey's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
24 credits, 19 with a Motif page.
Bird Boy(2025)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Pirates of Somalia(2017)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
SAF3(2013)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows
Dredd(2012)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
District 9(2009)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Stone of Destiny(2008)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
The Triangle(2005)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
The Cure for Boredom (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Here Come the Munsters(1995)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
A Case for Murder (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
A Taste for Killing(1992)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Blue Desert (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
Sometimes They Come Back(1991)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Trick or Treat(1986)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Supernaturals (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1986)
The Boys Next Door(1985)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Avenging Angel(1985)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Hambone and Hillie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles from 1983 to 2025.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Michael S. Murphey's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Universally Panned1
- Loved with Detractors1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Michael S. Murphey's work okay for kids?
Across up to 12 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Michael S. Murphey work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael S. Murphey's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joel Soisson shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Charles Martin SmithShared titles: Stone of Destiny (2008), The Triangle (2005), Trick or Treat (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Martin Smith
Writers
- Joel SoissonShared titles: Bird Boy (2025), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Trick or Treat (1986), A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), Avenging Angel (1985), The Boys Next Door (1985)See all 6 shared titles with Joel Soisson
- Glen MorganShared titles: Trick or Treat (1986), The Boys Next Door (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Glen Morgan
- James WongShared titles: Trick or Treat (1986), The Boys Next Door (1985)See all 2 shared titles with James Wong
Actors
- Lisa BrennerShared titles: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006), The Triangle (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Lisa Brenner
- Danny TrejoShared titles: From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999), From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Danny Trejo
- Robert RuslerShared titles: Sometimes They Come Back (1991), A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Rusler
Composers
- Christopher YoungShared titles: Trick or Treat (1986), A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), Avenging Angel (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Christopher Young
- Joseph LoDucaShared titles: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006), The Triangle (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph LoDuca
Producers
- Irfaan FredericksShared titles: The Pirates of Somalia (2017), SAF3 (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Irfaan Fredericks
- Dean DevlinShared titles: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006), The Triangle (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Dean Devlin
- Kearie PeakShared titles: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006), The Triangle (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Kearie Peak
- Marc RoskinShared titles: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006), The Triangle (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Marc Roskin