Police say that no foul play is suspected in US director David R Ellis' death in Johannesburg.

According to Gauteng police spokesperson Lt-Col Lungelo Dlamini. 60-year-old Ellis was found in the bathroom of his room at the Sandton Sun Hotel at 1pm on Monday.

The South African Press Association quoted Dlamini as saying: "It is unknown what was the cause of death. He was last seen on Saturday at 12 [noon] in a restaurant by his friend.

"The body was discovered by the hotel manager. Nothing was found to be missing from his room and no foul play is being suspected at this stage," Dlamini continued.

"The US embassy has been informed and are believed to be making necessary arrangements for the body to be taken to his own country."

According to the Associated Press, a post mortem was performed on Tuesday, but the cause of Ellis' death remained unknown.

Ellis – who counted Snakes on a Plane among his directing credits – was in South Africa working on Kite, a remake of the 1998 Japanese anime film that was to have starred Samuel L Jackson.