Johan Renck

Bo Johan Renck (born 5 December 1966) is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He was originally a singer-songwriter from 1991 to 2001, using the moniker Stakka Bo, and had an international hit with his single "Here We Go" in 1993. Renck later became a music-video and television director, winning an Emmy Award in 2019 for his work on the mini-series Chernobyl.

Early life Renck was born on 5 December 1966 in Uppsala, Sweden, the son of medical doctor and professor Hans Renck and nurse Marina Kylberg. Hans taught at several universities around the world, so the Renck family moved around and lived in Miami, Uppsala, Malmö, Tromsø and Kuwait. He graduated from Stockholm School of Economics with a degree in business.

Career Music While at university, he dated singer and ex-model Camilla Henemark of Army of Lovers, who introduced him to the Swedish music business. continuing to release music as Stakka Bo.

Stakka Bo had a hit single in 1993 with the song "Here We Go", which peaked at No. 13 in the UK Singles Chart. Heavily influenced by the Stereo MCs, who were popular at the time, "Here We Go" appeared in an episode of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head and sitcom Derry Girls, in the films Prêt-à-porter, Never Been Kissed and Alien Autopsy and in the video game UEFA Euro 2004.

Due to a very tight budget, he ended up directing the first video for his solo project, and continued making his own videos, eventually directing videos of other Swedish artists such as Titiyo and The Cardigans. In 2012 he directed the music video "Blue Velvet" for Lana Del Rey which was also used for the commercial campaign by H&M, as well as the music video for "Wild" by Beach House. In 2015 he directed the ten-minute video for David Bowie's "Blackstar", and "Lazarus" that appeared in January 2016. In 2005, he and his brother Martin directed two videos from Swedish band The Cardigans: "I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer" and "Don't Blame Your Daughter (Diamonds)". He has been associated with Swedish artists like Karin Dreijer and Kent.

Film and television

Renck's first film, Downloading Nancy, 2008 premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2008 in Park City, Utah. While the movie didn't receive very strong reviews, it generated a call from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. He directed three episodes of AMC television drama Breaking Bad, and moved on to work on one episode of The Walking Dead, Halt and Catch Fire, and Bates Motel.

In addition, Renck directed a fashion art film called Decadent Control for Imagine Fashion that premiered in March 2011. It starred Roberto Cavalli, Eva Herzigová, Kirsty Hume and Brad Kroenig and used fashion from Agent Provocateur and H&M. In January 2020, Renck won the Directors Guild of America Award for Movies for Television and Limited Series.

In the fall of 2019, it was announced that he was attached to the feature film Spaceman of Bohemia an adaptation to the book by U.S. based, Czech born writer Jaroslav Kalfař, with a screenplay written by Colby Day. The film is set up under Channing Tatum's company, Free Association.

In May 2020, Variety reported he was in negotiations to direct and executive produce the limited series Girl A for producer Elizabeth Gabler (former president of Fox 2000) and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The series is adapted from the novel by debut author Abigail Dean.

In June 2020, Renck was revealed as executive producer and director of the pilot episode of HBO's television adaptation of The Last of Us with Chernobyl collaborator Craig Mazin; in January 2021, he was forced to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts, replaced as the pilot's director by Kantemir Balagov.

In January 2021, he was announced to be directing the science fiction series The Sparrow, based on the novel of the same name by Mary Doria Russell and written by Scott Frank.

In September 2022, he and his producing partner Michael Parets founder their own production company, Sinestra, and signed a 2-year first look deal with Freemantle. Under this deal he will direct an adaptation of the novel Mouth to Mouth.

Renck was set to direct the pilot episode to Dune: Prophecy. But on 28 February 2023, it was announced that he left the project due to a creative overhaul.

In March 2023, he signed to direct a film adaptation of The Prisoner in His Palace, a novel based on the 12 soldiers who guarded Saddam Hussein in the months previous to his execution. He also signed to direct a TV adaptation of the novel The Day of the Triffids for Amazon Studios.

In April 2024. he was announced to be directing the TV series Caledonian Road, written by Will Smith based on the novel of the same name by Andrew O'Hagan.

In February 2025, Renck was announced to be directing A Ladder To The Sky, based on the novel of the same name by John Boyne and written by Andres Heinz, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay.

In December 2025, Renck was announced to be directing the upcoming Netflix live-action adaptation of the Assassin's Creed video game series.

Personal life He is married to Elin Renck and has four children.

Videography

"Here We Go" – Stakka Bo "Nothing Really Matters" – Madonna "Hung Up" – Madonna "Love at First Sight" – Kylie Minogue "Black Coffee" – All Saints "Handle Me" – Robyn "Tripping" – Robbie Williams "She's Madonna" – Robbie Williams "What Became of the Likely Lads" – The Libertines "She's in Fashion" – Suede "Crystal" – New Order "Krafty" – New Order "Me, Myself and I" – Beyoncé "Can't Change Me" – Chris Cornell "Pass This On" – The Knife "Seven" – Fever Ray "Daniel" – Bat for Lashes "Blue Velvet" – Lana Del Rey "Wild" – Beach House "Blackstar" – David Bowie "Lazarus" – David Bowie "I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer" (with Martin Renck) – The Cardigans "Don't Blame Your Daughter (Diamonds)" (with Martin Renck) – The Cardigans

Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions SWE FIN SWI UK Supermarket Released: 1993 Label: Stockholm (521089) Formats: LP, CS, CD 9 35 29 — The Great Blondino Released: 1995 Label: Stockholm (529336) Formats: LP, CS, CD 19 — — 192 Jr. Released: 2001 Label: Stockholm (014162) Formats: CS, CD 23 — — — "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album SWE DEN EUR FIN NED NOR SWI 24 27 — 83 10 — — — 22 64 "Living It Up" 38 — — — — — — — — — 1994 "On Your Knees" — — — — — — — — — — "We" — — — — — — — — — — 1995 "Great Blondino" 15 — — — — — — — — —The Great Blondino 1996 "Softroom" 54 — — — — — — — — — "We Vie" (with Titiyo, Fleshquartet & Nåid) 10 — — — — — — — — —Jr. 2001 "Mute" 20 — — — — — — — — — "Killer" 34 — — — — — — — — — "Love of a Woman" — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Filmography Film Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer2008 Downloading Nancy 2024 Spaceman

Television TV series Year Title Episode(s) 2009–2011 Breaking Bad "Breakage" "Más" "Hermanos" 2010 The Walking Dead "Vatos" 2013 Vikings "Rites of Passage" "Wrath of the Northmen" "Dispossessed" Bates Motel "Trust Me" 2014 Halt and Catch Fire "Close to the Metal" 2015 Bloodline "Part 1" "Part 2" 2016 Shut Eye "Death"TBAAssassin's Creed

Miniseries Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer 2014 Ettor & nollor 2015 The Last Panthers 2019 Chernobyl

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 1999 MTV Video Music Awards Best Special Effects in a Video Nothing Really Matters 2008 Stockholm International Film Festival Bronze Horse AwardDownloading Nancy 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic 2011 Online Film & Television Association Best Direction in a Drama Series The Walking Dead 2016 British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series The Last Panthers 2016 Camerimage Best Music Video Blackstar 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Best Direction Lazarus 2019 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Directing for a Limited SeriesChernobyl 2020 British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Director: Fiction 2020 CinEuphoria Awards Merit - Honorary Award 2020 Producers Guild of America Award Best Limited Series Television 2020 Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directing – Miniseries or TV Film