Worst Director of Decade
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As a youth, he produced a number of short films on Super 8 and video. After short stints as guest auditor at Filmacademy Vienna and Filmhochschule Munich, Boll studied literature and economics in Cologne and Siegen. He graduated from university in 1995 with a doctorate in literature. From 1995-2000, he was a producer and director with Taunus Film-Produktions GmbH. Boll was Chief Executive Officer of Bolu Filmproduction and Distribution GmbH which he founded in 1992. He continued to direct, write and produce feature films until 2016. His main companies are Event Films in Vancouver and Bolu Film in Germany. A longtime resident of Canada, Boll owned the restaurant "Bauhaus" in Vancouver from 2015 to 2020. Returned to Germany and resumed filming in 2020.- Actor
- Director
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Dennis Barton Dugan is an American film director, actor, comedian and screenwriter from Wheaton, Illinois who directed several films featuring Adam Sandler including Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, Jack & Jill, Grown Ups, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and You Don't Mess With the Zohan. He also directed Beverly Hills Ninja and The Benchwarmers.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
- Producer
- Director
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Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.
He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil obstetrician and gynecologist, and Nelliate C. Shyamalan, a Malayali doctor. His passion for filmmaking began when he was given a Super-8 camera at age eight, and even at that young age began to model his career on that of his idol, Steven Spielberg. His first film, Praying with Anger (1992), was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. He raised all the funds for this project, in addition to directing, producing and starring in it. Wide Awake (1998), his second film, he wrote and directed, and shot it in the Philadelphia-area Catholic school he once attended--even though his family was of a different religion, they sent him to that school because of its strict discipline.
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense (1999), which was a commercial success and later nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Shyamalan team up again with Bruce Willis in the film Unbreakable (2000), released in 2000, which he also wrote and directed.
His major films include the science fiction thriller Signs (2002), the psychological thriller The Village (2004), the fantasy thriller Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), After Earth (2013), and the horror films The Visit (2015) and Split (2016).- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Paul W.S. Anderson gained a fair bit of notoriety in his native England when he directed the ultra-violent Shopping (1994) (which he also wrote), starring Jude Law and Sean Pertwee in a story about thieves who steal by ramming a car into storefronts. The film was banned in some cinemas in England, and became a direct-to-video slightly edited release in the United States.
Shopping (1994) allowed Anderson to get the chance to direct Mortal Kombat (1995), an adaptation of the hit video game, which showcased his directorial trademarks - visually stunning scenery and quick-cut editing. The film did well enough for him to choose his next project, which was Soldier (1998) with Warner Bros., with Kurt Russell in the lead. Unfortunately, Russell decided at the time to go on hiatus, pushing the release date of that film into 1998. In the meantime, Anderson directed Event Horizon (1997) from a script by Philip Eisner, which featured Anderson regulars Sean Pertwee and Jason Isaacs. The science fiction/horror film, a Gothic horror version of Solaris (1972), was stylish and scary, but was critically panned and did not do well in the box office, which Anderson blamed on studio-enforced cuts to the story. (Anderson has promised a Director's Cut, though none has been announced as of yet).
Soldier (1998) didn't fare well with critics and box office either, and Anderson's planned 2000 remake of Death Race 2000 (1975) was canceled. This forced him to think smaller, which led to The Sight (2000), a supernatural mystery movie that was a minor hit. He then resurfaced to direct another video game adaption, Resident Evil (2002). Long rumored among fans to be a choice comeback vehicle for zombie grandfather George A. Romero, the writing and directing credits eventually transferred to Anderson. He next was given the helm for the long-awaited film adaption of the popular Dark Horse comic book, Alien vs. Predator (2004).- Director
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Bill Condon was born on 22 October 1955 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Dreamgirls (2006), Gods and Monsters (1998) and Kinsey (2004).- Producer
- Actor
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Kevin Patrick Smith was born in Red Bank but grew up in Highlands, New Jersey, the son of Grace (Schultz) and Donald E. Smith, a postal worker. He is very proud of his native state; this fact can be seen in all of his movies. Kevin is of mostly German, with some Irish and English, ancestry.
His first movie, Clerks (1994), was filmed in the convenience store in which Smith worked. He was only allowed to shoot at night after the store closed. This movie won the highest award at the Sundance film festival and was brought to theaters by Miramax. The movie went over so well that Smith was able to make another movie, Mallrats (1995). This movie, as Kevin has said, was meant to be a "smart Porkys". Although it didn't do well at all in the box office, it has done more than well on video store shelves and is usually the favorite among many Smith fans.
During filming for the movie, Smith met his new close friends and stars of his next movie, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, and his new girlfriend, Joey Lauren Adams. Smith has said that his relationship with Adams has been much of an inspiration for his next movie, Chasing Amy (1997), Smith's comedy drama which won two independent Spirit awards: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Role (for Jason Lee). Around the time that Chasing Amy (1997) was wrapping, Smith broke up with Adams and, then when the Spirit awards were approaching, he met his soon-to-be wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith. After Chasing Amy (1997), Smith started on Dogma (1999), a controversial film about Christianity. Around this time, Smith's wife gave birth to their first baby girl, Harley Quinn Smith. Harley Quinn and Jennifer both have roles in Smith's next film,Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). In this road trip comedy, the cult heroes, Jay and Silent Bob, go on an adventure to stop the production of a movie being made about them, find true love, and save an orangutan.
In 2004, he wrote and directed Jersey Girl (2004), starring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler. Although there were some disappointing reviews and the movie was a disappointment at the box office, Smith says it did alright going up against the "Bennifer Massacre" known as Gigli (2003).
In 2005, Smith wrote the screenplay for Clerks II (2006), which he planned to start shooting in January of 2005. But then he got a call from Susannah Grant, who wanted Smith to audition for her new film. Smith went into the audition and, five minutes after finishing, he got a call saying he got the part. Filming began in January 2005 so Smith had to delay the filming of Clerks II (2006). After Catch and Release (2006) finished filming, Smith shot "Clerks II" in September 2005. After cutting "Clerks II", they submitted it to the Cannes film festival. It got accepted and, at Cannes, it got an 8 minute standing ovation.
In 2006, Smith also got offered a part in the fourth "Die Hard" film, Live Free or Die Hard (2007). Smith got to film a scene with one of his idols, Bruce Willis, the scene was supposed to take one day of filming, it ended up taking a week. In 2007, Smith was also hired to direct the pilot for the show Reaper (2007), which garnered favorable reviews.
In 2007 and 2008, Smith wrote two scripts: a comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), and a horror film called Red State (2011). Harvey Weinstein green-lighted "Zack and Miri", based just off the title, although they passed on "Red State", Smith plans to get "Red State" independently funded. Smith filmed "Zack and Miri" with comedy starSeth Rogen. The film did not meet expectations at the box office but got good reviews. It is Smith's highest grossing movie, although he says he was crushed by the disappointing box office of the film.
Smith was offered the chance to direct a film which was written by Robb Cullen and Mark Cullen called Cop Out (2010). Smith accepted, it would be two firsts; the first feature Smith has directed but not written and the first feature of Smith's that Scott Mosier has not produced (Mosier is trying to find a film to direct). Smith hired Bruce Willis for the film.- Director
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Mike Mitchell was born in Oklahoma City to parents, Robert Mitchell, and Julia Baker. He graduated from Putnam City North High School, having been deeply involved with their arts programs. He then left behind his hometown and moved to Los Angeles to attend the California Institute of the Arts. During his time in college, animators were in high demand. This led him into television, working for distinguished filmmakers such as Tim Burton and Spike Jonze.- Art Department
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Academy Award winner Roger Christian has had an extensive film career. He won an Academy Award for set decoration on director George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), which began a long collaboration between the filmmakers. Christian subsequently worked with Lucas on Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and was hand-picked by Lucas to direct the second unit on the recent Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). It was through Lucas that Christian got his first opportunity to direct a film, the short feature entitled Ángel Negro (2000), which accompanied the UK release of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Christian followed "Black Angel" with another short, The Dollar Bottom (1981), which won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He followed that success with the thriller The Sender (1998), which received much critical acclaim and a nomination for Best Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
His directing credits include the 1994 Orion Pictures release _Nostradamus (1994/I)_, starring Julia Ormond and F. Murray Abraham, the HBO premiere movie The Final Cut (1995), Underworld (1996) starring Annabella Sciorra and Masterminds (1997) starring Patrick Stewart. Christian has also directed numerous high profile commercials, including worldwide campaigns for SEGA, Taco Bell, Jeep, Lancia, Fiat and Chrysler/Dodge, among others. Christian's work as an art director and production designer was highly regarded. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his art direction on Ridley Scott's Alien (1979). His other art direction credits include Life of Brian (1979), Ken Russell's Mahler (1974) and Peter Hall's Akenfield (1974). Roger also directed Battlefield Earth (2000), with John Travolta and Forest Whitaker.
Roger Christian recently wrapped production on Bandido (2004), starring Angie Everhart, for Fries Film Group. Written by Carlos Gallardo, who also wrote El Mariachi, Bandidos continues the saga of the stylish Mexican thief who remains nameless. The same character was also portrayed by Antonio Banderas in Desperado (a remake of El Mariachi). In Bandidos, Carlos Gallardo reprises the starring role as the most infamous thief in Mexico.- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Frank Coraci is an American film Director, Writer and Actor best know for his work with Adam Sandler.
Coraci was born in Shirley, New York on Long Island. Coraci graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in Film. He has directed a number of Sandler's most revered and biggest box office hits (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy and Click).
Coraci's films have been met with both commercial and critical success. Here Comes the Boom won Movie Guides 2012's Best Family Film. Click won the 2007 People's Choice Award For "Favorite Movie Comedy." Click also was nominated for an Academy Award® For Best Achievement In Makeup. The Waterboy holds the title of the Number-One Grossing Sports Comedy Of All Time. The Wedding Singer has been included on many "Best Of" romantic comedy lists, including Moviefone's All-Time Top 25 Romantic Comedies. Coraci's awards also include Platinum Albums for both The Wedding Singer soundtracks, as well as an Emmy Nomination and a Platinum Album for the comedy CD "Adam Sandler, What the Hell Happened to Me?" for which he was also a performer and co-writer. His first independent feature, Murdered Innocence, won Best Feature Film and Best Directorial Debut at the 11th Annual Long Island Film Festival and showcased at the 18th Annual Sao Paolo Film Festival.
His acting career has him making cameos in The Waterboy as Roberto Boucher, and a Blue Haired Nurse in Click. He also plays the title character in Sandler's video for "The Lonesome Kicker"
Coraci also was the host of the food show, Chowmasters, for the Travel Channel with his childhood best friend, Chef and Restaurateur, Sam DeMarco (AKA: Chef Sammy D).
One of Coraci's first jobs out of NYU was directing travel documentaries for Globus World Tours. He traveled and photographed over 40 countries and filmed such landmarks as The Great Wall of China, The Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands.
His most recent film, The Ridiculous 6, is the first film that was financed by Netflix for an exclusive release via Netflix. It is the most watched movie or TV series in the history of Netflix.
A lover of Electronic music, Coraci DJ's by the name Spanknyce.- Producer
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- Actor
A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. His work won him recognition and a number of MTV award nominations. He also filmed advertisements for Nike, Reebok, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Miller Lite. He won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for his "Got Milk/Aaron Burr" commercial. At Cannes, he has won the Gold Lion for The Best Beer campaign for Miller Lite, as well as the Silver for "Got Milk". In 1995, Bay was honored by the Directors Guild of America as Commercial Director of the Year. That same year, he also directed his first feature film, Bad Boys (1995), starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, which grossed more than $160 million, worldwide. His follow-up film, The Rock (1996), starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, was also hugely successful, making Bay the director du jour.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Harald Zwart was born in Leiden, Netherlands, and his family moved to Norway where he grew up. He made his first film when he was 8 years and was active with Super8 and stop motion animation for years. He was accepted into the highly acclaimed Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam, NL, where he spent 4 years, specializing in Directing, Script and Editing. Harald's exam film "Garbriel's Surprise" (about a young man who was given a second chance by Gabriel to correct the wrong), was screened on all Scandinavian TV stations and Harald was quickly headhunted into doing commercials in Norway. He met his wife and partner Veslemoey Ruud Zwart and they've worked together since. She started managing his deals and started the company Zwart Arbeid A/S
After a few years of producing and directing award winning commercials all over Europe, they did their first feature, "Commander Hamilton" [tt0119249/], and then they got "the call" from Hollywood where were invited to have lunch with Steven Spielberg. He had seen the commercials and was impressed by the concise story telling and humor. Shortly after the couple moved permanently to Los Angeles where Veslemoey started Motion Blur. A commercial film production company where they continued to make ads for the world wide market.
Their first feature was "One Night At McCool's" with Michael Douglas producing, starring Liv Tyler, John Goodman, Matt Dillon, Paul Reiser, Reba McIntyre and more.
Since then they have continued producing under the Zwart Arbeid banner, and opened Motion Blur films and commercials in Norway where they have steadfast produced films, TV shows and commercials. Harald travels all over the world to direct commercials for all the markets, and in the US he's most known for the Capital One Commercials with the Vikings. He's most known for the movies The Karate Kid with Will Smith and Overbrook/SONY producing, and "The 12th Man" which they produced under their own company Zwart Arbeid with Nordisk Film distributing.
Their latest Norwegian Movie "Lange Flate Ballær" went straight to #1 and is the highest grossing Norwegian movie so far in 2022.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in 15 March 1959 as Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola, he is the most successful Finnish film director in the history of Hollywood.
Harlin started his career in film business in the beginning of 1980s when he was directing commercials and company films for companies like Shell. Later he worked as a buyer for Finnish film distributor and met Finnish Markus Selin in Los Angeles. They became friends and started writing a screenplay called "Arctic Heat". The project started fast and soon they had Chuck Norris signed on leading role for the film. But with money problems shooting schedule didn't hold and Norris left the project, but Selin and Harlin got Mike Norris for the leading role. They wrote new script, Born American (1986), and got financial help from USA. In the year 1986 Born American (1986) was finished and the most expensive Finnish film ever opened in USA in over 1,000 theaters and reached no 9.
The film wasn't successful in Finland, where it was banned. Harlin moved to Los Angeles and got a job from Halloween (1978) producer Irwin Yablans who offered him script of "Prison" to film. Film was made with low budget and distributed with only 42 copies. In the same year 1988 he got a job from New Line Cinema to direct A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) after meeting producer Robert Shaye numerous times, who at the first didn't want Harlin to direct the film. It became the highest-grossing film in the series, though its budget was seven times greater than the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" film.
20th Century Fox wanted Harlin to direct the Andrew Dice Clay rock'n roll comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) and also a sequel to Die Hard (1988). Harlin made the both, but only Die Hard 2 (1990) was commercially successful, with over 239 million dollar worldwide gross. Next he directed Cliffhanger (1993) with Sylvester Stallone which made $255 million worldwide and was nominated for 3 Oscar's. Before Cliffhanger (1993) Harlin was hired to direct "Alien³" but he left the project because of creative differences.
His next film Cutthroat Island (1995) was a pirate film made with $100 million budget. Unfortunately it came out without good promotion and flopped badly. It made only $10 million in USA and for a time became the biggest flop in Hollywood history. But for Harlin, it wasn't a total loss.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) was a critical success, but was a box office flop, grossing only $30 million domestically with a $65 million budget.
In year 1998, Warner Bros. wanted a summer blockbuster for the year 1999 and Renny Harlin was the right name to direct. Deep Blue Sea (1999) came to theaters after costing 60 million dollars to film and made $160 million worldwide. The film never hit the top spot in the USA but still grossed $73 millions in the USA alone.
Harlin was hired to direct Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) after John Frankenheimer left the job and died shortly after it, and Paul Schrader was fired. Producers knew that Harlin could made a blockbuster even with the weak script, and so he did. With $50 million budget the film opened in number 1 and grossed $80 million worldwide.
Probably most liked Harlin's film Mindhunters (2004) was released in 2004 after years post-production. It was released in USA in 2005 in over 1,000 theaters but it only reached 10th place. In 9 weeks it grossed only $4 million dollars.
The Covenant (2006) was released in 2006. With non-famous (but attractive) actors, the film hit the top in its opening weekend and became a successful film. With a $20 million budget, it grossed $37 million worldwide and DVD sale brought $20 million more.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Jan de Bont was one of 17 children born into a Roman Catholic Dutch family in Eindhoven on 22 October 1943. Credited with being creative and having a good mentality for camera techniques, he became a popular cinematographer. He worked on a huge number of films before finding himself on the production of Speed (1994), his first film as a director. He has resided in Los Angeles since 1968.
The film was a success and took him onto the next set for Twister (1996), which he also directed. But then the total flops started coming his way: firstly, Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), which he wrote and directed but without the company of Keanu Reeves. He also directed the star-packed The Haunting (1999) but that also failed at the box office. Later, he directed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003). He is still active in cinema.- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Zalman King was born on 23 May 1942 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. He was a producer and director, known for 9½ Weeks (1986), Galaxy of Terror (1981) and In God's Hands (1998). He was married to Patricia Louisianna Knop. He died on 3 February 2012 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Writer
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- Director
David McNally is a British film and television director known for his collaborations with film producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He directed the cult classic 2000 film Coyote Ugly starring Adam Garcia and Piper Perabo. He later directed Kangaroo Jack, a 2003 children's crime comedy film starring Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren and Adam Garcia as the voice of the titular kangaroo. In 2006, he co-created the show Justice.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
The trail-blazing linchpin of a sprawling family dynasty of comic entertainers, it was multi-talented writer/director/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans (born June 8, 1958, in New York City) who led the familial pack and was the first to achieve national prominence when he successfully created, launched, wrote, hosted and starred in In Living Color (1990), a landmark 1990s black-oriented comedy sketch satire on Fox TV that beat the odds and transcended the then-narrow periphery of TV comedy to became a defiant movement of inclusion. It was a brilliant showcase for up and coming comics and not only ignited/advanced the careers of his own younger talented siblings (Damon Wayans, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans), but the superstar film careers of Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx.
The second of ten children of Howell Wayans, a grocery store manager, and Elvira Wayans, a social worker and singer, Keenan attended Seward Park High School, then majored in engineering at Alabama's Tuskegee University. He dropped out during his senior year when the comedy bug hit him full force. Heavily influenced by Richard Pryor, he found only lukewarm success on the New York stand-up stage, deciding later to relocate to Los Angeles in order to pursue film and TV opportunities. After being glimpsed in bit parts in such TV shows as "CHiPs" "The Renegades" and "Cheers" along with the minor part of a stand-up comic in the Bob Fosse-directed biopic Star 80 (1983), Keenen found his first real break in the sudsy ensemble TV military series For Love and Honor (1983) as Army Pvt. Duke Johnson, part of an artillery unit who aspired to become a professional boxer. From this, he moved onto more visible roles on nighttime TV, including "Hill Street Blues," "Benson" and "A Different World."
After hooking up with star comedian Eddie Murphy and earning a writing credit for the opening sketch of the star's raunchy live performance documentary Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) and a TV writing nod for Joan Rivers's nighttime chat show The Late Show (1986), Keenen's name became known as an actor and writer. Partnering with actor/writer/producer/director Robert Townsend, he had his first film hit with the film Hollywood Shuffle (1987), a biting satire highlighting the plight of the black actor in 70's Hollywood. Done in hilariously stereotypical fashion, one great bit had detective Townsend battling a blaxploitation villain named Jerry Curl (Wayans). Keenan went solo (writer/director/star) for his next similar 70s blaxploitation parody, the even bigger hit I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). Here he played the revenge-minded, but not particularly macho Jack Spade alongside such icons of blaxploitation cinema as Jim Brown, Isaac Hayes, Bernie Casey and Antonio Fargas, as well as several members of his family.
These two major successes led to the irreverent, controversial, Emmy-winning TV satire In Living Color (1990). This Fox show would become Keenen's creative baby and prized pièce de résistance that would effectively showcase his deviously scathing social humor. He also turned the show into a family act as well with Damon, Kim, Marlon and Shawn all part of the wild and woolly ensemble. Opening each episode surrounded by the beautiful dancing "Fly Girls" (one of the season's replacements would be Jennifer Lopez), the nattily-dressed Keenen would graciously spotlight his comedy troupe more than himself. The show caught on quick; however, squabbles with the network over creative control, censorship and financial issues led to an incensed Keenen abruptly leaving his show in 1992, after only two seasons. His exit was quickly followed by his family performers.
When it comes to outrageous satire, Keenen has few peers and immediately picked up where he left off as a writer, director and star of in his own film comedy vehicle, the action-filled A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) in which he plays a private detective named Shame who takes on drug lords. He next supported brothers Shawn and Marlon with a bit role as a mailman in their own popular crime comedy vehicle Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), then was given the chance to hang opposite action star Steven Seagal in Seagal's producing vehicle The Glimmer Man (1996) as two cops out to solve some murders. With his next film vehicle project, Keenen decided to write but left the directing chores to David Hogan in a dramatic change of pace with Most Wanted (1997). He plays a Marine and special operations officer on a top secret mission who gets framed for an attempted assassination.
Towards the end of the 1990's Keenen attempted his own nighttime talk show, described as ("late night talk the Wayans way"). As host, writer and executive producer, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (1997) had heavy competition and did not catch fire, barely lasting a couple of seasons. Come the millennium, however, Keenen set his sights on directing (and appearing in a minor role) the riotously crude horror film spoof Scary Movie (2000), which prominently displayed brothers Shawn and Marlon (also co-writers). This would become a blockbuster hit. The following year he also directed the first sequel Scary Movie 2 (2001).
Continuing to keeping things more or less a family affair, he directed and co-wrote (only) Shawn and Marlon's crime comedy vehicles White Chicks (2004), as two FBI agents who go undercover in drag, and Little Man (2006), as criminal brothers, one being a dwarf(!); appeared as a guest on brother Damon's sitcom "My Wife and Kids"; and co-wrote and had a featured part in another all-inclusive Wayans project Dance Flick (2009), which mercilessly pokes fun at dance movies. This film was directed by nephew Damien Dante Wayans, co-written by Keenen, Shaun, Marlon, Damien and Craig Wayans, produced by Keenen, Shawn, Marlon, Damien and Craig, and starring nephew Fast Girl (2008) with other performances by Keenen, Shawn, Marlon, Damien, Kim, Craig, niece Chaunte Wayans and nephew Michael Wayans.
After laying low for several years, Keenen, the divorced father of five children, returned to direct several episodes of the comedy series The Last O.G. (2018) starring Tracy Morgan as an ex-con adjusting to the outside.- Writer
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Perry was born and raised in New Orleans, to Willie Maxine (Campbell) and Emmitt Perry, Sr. His mother was a church-goer and took Perry along with her once a week. His father was a carpenter and they had a very strained and abusive relationship, which led Perry to suffer from depression as a teenager.
In 1991, he was working an office job, when he saw an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) discussing the therapeutic nature of writing. This inspired him to begin writing and he worked through his bad experiences by writing letters to himself. He adapted his letters into a play, "I Know I've Changed", about domestic abuse. Unfortunately, after renting a theater in Atlanta to put on the play, he failed to attract audiences.
He took on a series of odd jobs and found himself living in his car. But, in 1998, he was given a second chance to stage his play and, this time, he was more business-savvy with his marketing. The play was sold-out and drew attention from investors.
Tyler has gone on to established a successful career as a writer, director and producer for stage, television and film.- Writer
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- Producer
Malcolm D. Lee was born on 11 January 1970 in the USA. He is a writer and director, known for Girls Trip (2017), The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man Holiday (2013). He has been married to Camilla Banks since 2000. They have three children.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Bo Zenga graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where he attended the Wharton School of Business. Starting out as a Wall Street banker for what is now JP Morgan Chase, he moved to Los Angeles and studied filmmaking at the American Film Institute.
Such distinguished talent as Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Ron Howard and other major talent have attached themselves to his projects.
Bo's track record speaks for itself: every movie that he has made with a budget of $10 million or more has gotten theatrical distribution from a major studio.
He developed and executive produced the teen horror spoof Scary Movie for Dimension/Miramax, which earned $42.3 million in its opening weekend. It has since grossed over $300 million and spawned a franchise that has grossed over $1 Billion. For this Bo was presented with an AC Nielsen Golden Reel award for the film's "extraordinary box office achievement."
20th Century Fox released his thriller Turistas starring Josh Duhamel, and Olivia Wilde, which Bo produced through his company Boz Productions.
He also wrote and executive produced the comedy Soul Plane, which MGM released on Memorial Day weekend as their big summer movie. It stars Kevin Hart & Sofia Vergara. It is currently being developed as a TV series.
In the indie world, Bo produced the film Everything's Jake, a winner at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival and the film If Tomorrow Comes starring Golden Globe winner James Franco. He wrote, directed and produced Stan Helsing, a standing-room-only hit at Comic Con after its world premiere in Los Angeles.
In television, he recently was asked to write an episode of Peabody Award-winning The Wonder Years. In 2023 he adapted the book The Diana I Knew for a movie on The Hallmark Channel.
Bo is also a lyricist having written the lyrics for songs for the movies Soul Plane, Stan Helsing and the award-winning TV show, Mad Men.
Known for his pitching acumen, Bo has been featured in Newsweek, The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly, to name a few. He has also repeatedly been listed as one of the "100 People You Need to Know in Hollywood" by Fade In Magazine and has appeared on the cover of Written By, the official magazine of the WGA, "pitching" from the mound at Dodger Stadium.
Bo has guest lectured on the entertainment business at the USC Gould School of Law and was the American Diabetes Association's "Father of the Year," an honor that goes back as far as President John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Stewart and, more recently, Tom Hanks.
Bo lives in Los Angeles with his daughters Kit and Liv and their dog CeCe.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Eli Raphael Roth was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Cora (Bialis), a painter, and Sheldon H. Roth, a psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, and clinical professor. His family is Jewish (from Austria, Hungary, Russia, and Poland). He began shooting Super 8 films at the age of eight; after watching Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) and vomiting, and deciding he wanted to be a producer/director. With his brothers and friends, ketchup for blood, and his father's power tools, he made over 50 short films before attending film school at NYU, where he won a student Academy Award and graduated summa cum laude in 1994.
Eli worked in film and theater production in New York City for many years, doing every job from production assistant to assistant editor to assistant to the director. At the age of 20, Roth was development head for producer Fred Zollo, a position he soon left to write full time. To earn a living, Roth did budgets and schedules for the films A Price Above Rubies (1998) and Illuminata (1998), and often worked as a stand-in, where he could watch directors work with the actors. In 1995, Roth co-wrote the script that would eventually become Cabin Fever (2002) with friend Randy Pearlstein, and the two spent many years unsuccessfully trying to get the film financed. Roth left New York in 1999 to live in Los Angeles, and within four months got funding for his animation series Chowdaheads (1999). Roth and friend Noah Belson (Cabin Fever (2002)'s Guitar Man) wrote and voiced the episodes, which Roth produced, directed, and designed. The episodes were due to run on WCW's #1 rated series WCW Monday Nitro (1995) but the CEO was fired a day before they were scheduled to air, and the episodes never ran. Roth used the episodes to set up a stop motion series called The Rotten Fruit (2003) which he produced, directed, and animated, as well as co-wrote and voiced with friend Belson. Between the two animated series, Roth worked closely with director David Lynch, producing content for the website davidlynch.com.
In 2001, Roth filmed Cabin Fever (2002) on a shoestring budget of $1.5 million, with private equity he and his producers raised from friends and their family. The film was the subject of a bidding war at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival, eventually won by Lion's Gate, instantly doubling their investors' money. It went on to not only be the highest-grossing film for Lion's Gate in 2003, but the most profitable horror film released that year, garnering critical acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Empire Magazine, and such filmmakers as Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, and Tobe Hooper. Roth used the film's success to launch a slew of projects, including The Box (2009), a horror thriller he co-wrote with Richard Kelly. In May 2003, Roth joined forces with filmmakers Boaz Yakin, Scott Spiegel, and Greenestreet Films in New York to form Raw Nerve, LLC, a horror film production company.
In 2014, Eli married Chilean model and actress Lorenza Izzo.- Writer
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- Producer
Jason Friedberg was born on 16 January 1970 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Disaster Movie (2008), Epic Movie (2007) and Meet the Spartans (2008).- Writer
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Aaron Seltzer was born on 12 January 1974 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He is a writer and director, known for Disaster Movie (2008), Date Movie (2006) and Epic Movie (2007).- Writer
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Born on October 16, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, director/writer/producer David Zucker, along with brother Jerry (Ghost, 1990) Zucker and longtime friend, Jim (Hot Shots, 1991) Abrahams, has established himself among Hollywood's (or at least Wisconsin's) most successful filmmakers.
Starting out after college, with a borrowed video tape deck and camera, the soon to be legendary trio created the Kentucky Fried Theater, on the UW Madison campus, and moved to California in 1972, quickly becoming the most successful small theater group. in Los Angeles history. After parlaying this success into The Kentucky Fried Movie, the three conceived the idea that would create a whole new film genre. Airplane! (1980) broke all conventions, featuring dramatic actors like Robert Stack and Leslie Nielsen performing zany jokes with straight-laced sincerity. The spoof became the surprise hit of 1980, beginning a streak of hilarious movies including Top Secret! (1984) and Ruthless People (1986), after which David branched out on his own to direct The Naked Guns (1988, 1991, 1994), BASEketball (1998), Scary Movies 3 (2003), and 4 (2006), and others.
David also found time to produce the successful, but somewhat less hilarious A Walk in The Clouds (1995) and Phone Booth (2002), and recently completed a feature script, The Star of Malta, a comedy set in the Film Noir era, and an international spy thriller, "Counter Intellijence!".
Outside of the entertainment world, David has been a prominent advocate of environmental causes, having served on the board of TreePeople, an LA based organization committed to promoting community based tree planting and ecological solutions. David has worked closely with founder Andy Lipkis, taking a major role in charting the direction of the organization, and while doing so, receiving numerous honors, including the annual Evergreen Award.- Producer
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Gary Winick was born on 31 March 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Tadpole (2002), Charlotte's Web (2006) and The Tic Code (1998). He died on 27 February 2011 in New York City, New York, USA.- Director
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Roger Kumble was born on 28 May 1966 in Harrison, New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Cruel Intentions (1999), The Sweetest Thing (2002) and Just Friends (2005). He has been married to Mary Mehagian since 4 November 2000. They have three children.- Director
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Timothy Kevin Story was born on March 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. Graduated from USC film school.- Writer
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Tim Hill was born on 21 May 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), Welcome Freshmen (1991) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). He has been married to Veronica Alicino since 24 June 1997. They have four children.- Director
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Darren Lynn Bousman was born on 11 January 1979 in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), Saw II (2005) and Abattoir (2016). He has been married to Laura Bousman since 2 January 2010. They have two children.- Editor
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Kevin Greutert is a Los Angeles-based director and editor renowned for his work on the billion-dollar-grossing "Saw" series, as well as his collaborations with producer Jason Blum and other genre filmmakers. In addition to his extensive work editing genre movies, Mr. Greutert is also developing science fiction projects, historical adventures, and action thrillers.- Producer
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Alexandre Aja was born on 7 August 1978 in Paris, France. He is a producer and director, known for High Tension (2003), The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Piranha 3D (2010). He is married to Laïla Marrakchi.- Director
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After training as a fine artist before working as a director in Theatre and Opera, Australian writer, director, and producer Greg McLean's filmmaking career began when he wrote and directed the horror smash hit 'Wolf Creek.' The film played at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals before going onto worldwide 'cult film' status. After this success, he established Emu Creek Pictures, a production company based in Melbourne, Australia. He then wrote, directed, and produced the thrillers 'Rogue' and 'Wolf Creek 2', before directing, 'The Darkness', 'The Belko Experiment', and the survival thriller; 'Jungle'. Greg Executive Produced and directed episodes on two seasons of the 'Wolf Creek TV series and recently directed episodes for series including; 'The Gloaming', 'Bloom', 'Jack Irish', 'La Brea' (Seasons 1 and 2), 'The Twelve and was the series director for 'Scrublands' in 2023.- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Rob Schmidt (born September 25, 1965) is an American film director and writer. His film credits include Wrong Turn, Alphabet Killer and Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. He created a pilot called American Town for Twentieth Century Fox and the pilot FRAN K.: Frankenstein independently. He directed a Masters of Horror episode called "Right to Die" and the Fear Itself episode Spirit Box, with Anna Kendrick. The Alphabet Killer, reunited him with Eliza Dushku(Wrong Turn), Martin Donovan ("Right to Die"), and Michael Ironside (Crime and Punishment in Suburbia.) He also sometimes works in true crime TV.- Director
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Marcus Nispel was born on 26 May 1963 in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. He is a director and producer, known for Friday the 13th (2009), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Pathfinder (2007).- Director
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A director who is equally adept at working in television as well as features, Southern California native Ron Underwood has been making films since 5th grade and was winning Eastman Kodak filmmaking awards by the time he was in his teens. After graduating from University of Southern California, he completed a fellowship at the American Film Institute and then began his professional career in educational films. He directed more than 100 educational films before turning his attention to children's television. Underwood's ABC Weekend Special, The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1986), earned both a Peabody Award and an Emmy nomination.
The director made his feature film debut in 1990 with the science fiction comedy Tremors. The film, which starred Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, became a sleeper hit, spawning six sequels and a USA TV series. This success was followed with the blockbuster comedy City Slickers (1991), starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. One of the year's top grossing films, the film earned Palance an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Underwood also directed the bittersweet fantasy-comedy Heart and Souls (1993), which starred Robert Downey, Jr. and Charles Grodin. He then directed Michael Keaton and Geena Davis in the romantic comedy Speechless (1994).
In 1998, Underwood directed a remake of the classic 1949 adventure film Mighty Joe Young, starring Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton, alongside a bigger-than-life gorilla, which earned the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. He then directed The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), starring Eddie Murphy. The next feature film Underwood directed was the romantic comedy In the Mix, starring Usher Raymond and Chazz Palminteri (2005).
Underwood directed the Showtime feature Stealing Sinatra (2003), starring David Arquette and William H. Macy, who received an Emmy nomination. Underwood re-teamed with Jack Palance on the Hallmark Hall of Fame production Back When We Were Grownups (2004), based on the popular Anne Tyler book and starring Blythe Danner, who received both Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance. Underwood directed several other TV movies.
In addition to directing long form films, Underwood has directed critically-acclaimed television series, including "Scandal", "Once Upon A Time", "Grey's Anatomy", "The Good Fight" and many others.- Producer
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Brian Robbins is President of Kids & Family Entertainment for ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, with oversight of all strategy, creative and business operations for the company's kids and young-adult focused brands including Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon Studios and Awesomeness. He also has purview over The Nick Experience, Nickelodeon's experiential division which includes live shows, as well as Nick's domestic consumer products business.
Robbins most recently served as President of Nickelodeon, responsible for evolving the global brand leader in kids and family entertainment for a new generation of young audiences by enhancing its robust content offerings and expanding its cultural footprint on next-generation platforms and in film.
Prior to that, Robbins was President of Paramount Players, a production division of Paramount Pictures that develops, produces and markets feature films from original source material and in collaboration with Viacom flagship brands Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and BET.
Projects led by Robbins under the Paramount Players division include: Nobody's Fool, directed by Tyler Perry and starring Tiffany Haddish; What Men Want directed by Adam Shankman and starring Taraji P. Henson; the adaptation of Trevor Noah's autobiography Born a Crime; and film versions of classic Nickelodeon shows Rugrats and Dora the Explorer, among others.
Prior to establishing Paramount Players, Robbins founded multi-platform media company Awesomeness, which Viacom purchased in July 2018. As Founder & CEO, he drove all Awesomeness creative, producing hit web series and films Expelled, Guidance, Foursome, t@gged, and Freakish, as well as theatrical release Before I Fall.
A prolific producer of television, film and digital media, Robbins is best known for executive producing numerous popular and critical television hits aimed at teens and young audiences, including the long-running CW series Smallville and One Tree Hill; Nickelodeon's All That and Kenan and Kel; Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chance and So Random; and Spike TV's Blue Mountain State. He also produced the popular WB series What I Like About You and HBO's Arli$$.
In feature film, his director and producer credits include Paramount Pictures' Coach Carter, Hardball, Varsity Blues and Good Burger; Disney's Wild Hogs and Shaggy Dog; DreamWorks' A Thousand Words; and Sony's Radio, along with many other works.
Robbins is the recipient of a Directors Guild Award, a Peabody Award, and the Pioneer Prize by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is based in Los Angeles, CA.- Writer
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Karey Kirkpatrick was born on 14 December 1964 in Monroe, Louisiana, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Smallfoot (2018), Over the Hedge (2006) and Chicken Run (2000).- Producer
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Tom Shadyac moved to Los Angeles in 1983 and, at age 24, became the youngest staff joke writer ever for comedian Bob Hope. Shadyac received his master's degree in film from UCLA in 1989 after completing the critically acclaimed short, Tom, Dick and Harry. He then worked on movies-of-the-week, rewrote and directed for Fox. Shadyac has also dabbled in stand-up comedy and at one time, appeared regularly at the Improv on Melrose, as well as guest starring on TV series and movies.- Director
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Peter Segal was born in 1962. He is a director and producer, known for Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Get Smart (2008) and My Spy (2020). He is married to Linda Segal. They have three children.- Director
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Hired after Steven Spielberg saw his USC Thesis Film "Headless!" (which won Grand Jury Prize for best short at the Houston Int'l Film Festival) to direct Dreamworks Interactive's "Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland", Guterman was then hired to direct sequences on "Antz", the company's first C.G.I. feature starring the voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, and Christopher Walken. Next, he developed and prepped a live-action/CGI version of "Curious George" for producer Ron Howard, Imagine Entertainment, and Universal Studios. When that project was put on hold by the studio, Guterman went on to direct "Cats and Dogs" for Warner Bros., which earned more than $200 Million in worldwide box office revenue. (source: Variety, BoxOfficeMojo.com) The BBC said about the film that it "succeeds both as a parody of the spy genre, and in stretching the boundaries of what you believe is possible," and A.O. Scott of the New York Times called it "exuberant fun." Guterman received an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard University after attending M.I.T. his freshman year.- Producer
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Troy Miller is known for Flight of the Conchords (2007), Arrested Development (2003) and Jack Frost (1998).- Director
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Walt Becker was born on 16 September 1968 in Hollywood, California, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Old Dogs (2009), Wild Hogs (2007) and National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002). He has been married to Lindsay Becker since 2005. They have two children.- Producer
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Bobby Farrelly was born on 17 June 1958 in Cumberland, Rhode Island, USA. He is a producer and director, known for There's Something About Mary (1998), Osmosis Jones (2001) and Me, Myself & Irene (2000). He has been married to Nancy Farrelly since 1990. They have two children.- Producer
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Peter Farrelly was born on 17 December 1956 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Green Book (2018), There's Something About Mary (1998) and Dumb and Dumber (1994). He has been married to Melinda Farrelly since 31 December 1996. They have two children.- Director
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In addition to writing and directing, Danny has recently formed the production company, SLY DOG FILMS, with writer-producer Matt Tauber. Danny was also the lead guitarist in the seminal Brooklyn garage band, The Flying Guacamoles.- Director
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William Brent Bell is known for Orphan: First Kill (2022), The Boy (2016) and The Devil Inside (2012).- Mike Bigelow is known for Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005).
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Mike Binder was born in 1958 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for The Comedy Store (2020), Reign Over Me (2007) and The Upside of Anger (2005). He is married to Diane Murphy. They have two children.- Producer
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Raised on the back-streets of Jersey, Tom's award-winning fiction helped earn him a scholarship to Harvard College. Arriving in Cambridge, he landed a lead acting role opposite Amy Brenneman where they stripped naked and smeared ice cream and sprinkles on each other - and Tom knew a career in show business was his destiny. At Harvard, Brady acted in and directed dozens of theater productions, studied under Joe Chaikin, Sam Shepard, and David Mamet - and began writing his own plays and screenplays. Tom continued on to the University of Hawaii where he earned an MFA in Directing (and a minor in big waves). In the islands, Tom directed professionally, continued to write and direct his own original work, and landed a featured role in the CBS Viet Nam drama "Tour Of Duty." Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Tom worked as Assistant Director at the Mark Taper Forum's Mainstage and New Work Festival, directed at playhouses around Hollywood, and co-directed a very gratifying national tour showcasing the talents of children with disabilities and from impoverished backgrounds. As a writer, Brady was discovered by Al Jean & Mike Reiss at "The Simpsons", and went on to write and produce television shows such as The Critic (1994), The Simpsons (1989), Home Improvement (1991), Men Behaving Badly (1996), Sports Night (1998), Good Vibes (2011), and FX's Chozen (2014). Expanding his work to feature films, Tom's credits as a writer and/or director include The Animal (2001), The Hot Chick (2002), The Comebacks (2007), and Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) written by Adam Sandler and Nick Swardson. Tom also Executive Produced the award-winning documentary, Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End (2017) the romantic thriller Frank and Penelope (2022). Most recently, Tom produced the American period piece, Long Shadows for Tiki Tane Pictures.- Writer
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A native of Utica, New York, Steven Brill studied film, theater and acting at Boston University. It was there that he became a student of acclaimed, Nobel Prize winning poet and playwright, Derek Walcott. Brill became a part of Mr. Walcott's first theater group in Boston, Playwright's Theater, where he wrote and directed original plays.
Brill continued to write plays and moved to Los Angeles where he began auditioning as an actor and writing screenplays as well. In his spare time, Brill would go skating at public ice rinks - which proved a fortuitous hobby. One day while watching a Pee Wee hockey practice, he was struck by the idea for The Mighty Ducks.
Brill scripted the film, recalling his own youth hockey experience, and sold it to Walt Disney Pictures. Emilio Estevez was cast as Coach Gordon Bombay in the 1992 release. One year later, "The Mighty Ducks" of Anaheim entered their first NHL season. Brill next wrote and executive produced the 1995 sequel "D2-The Mighty Ducks Are Back" and in 1997, "D3-The Mighty Ducks".
Brills directorial debut was the Disney film "Heavyweights", a comedy about a group of kids at a weight loss summer camp starring Ben Stiller,. He co-wrote the script with Judd Apatow, who also served as the executive producer.
Next, Brill wrote and directed "Late Last Night" for Screenland Pictures. "Late Last Night" stars Emilio Estevez, Steven Weber and Catherine O'Hara. It chronicles one intense night in the life of a man in Los Angeles.
Brill wrote Ready to Rumble for Warner Brothers. He also worked as a writer on "The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, and Doctor Dolittle" He then directed and co-wrote Little Nicky with Adam Sandler for New Line Cinema. Also starring in the picture are Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette and Reese Witherspoon.
Brill followed that up by directing "Mr. Deeds" with Adam Sandler.. Deed's, also starring Winona Ryder came out in June of 2002 and made over 170 million at the box office worldwide
Brill then re-wrote and directed "Without a Paddle," starring Burt Reynolds, Seth Green and Matthew Lillard, for Paramount Pictures. He directed "Drillbit Taylor" produced by Judd Apatow and starring Owen Wilson for Paramount Pictures.
His most recent film was "Walk of Shame," an original screenplay that directed, starring Elizabeth Banks, for Lakeshore Entertainment.
Aside from writing and directing, Brill has kept busy as an actor on such diverse films as "Sex, Lies, and Videotape", "Postcards from the Edge", "Edward Scissorhands", "Batman Returns", "When a Man Loves a Woman", "The Wedding Singer" and "Big Daddy", and "Knocked Up".- Director
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Luke was born in Manhassett, New York and grew up in Westport, Connecticut.
He's best known for creating films that are unpredictable and surprising to audiences such as his film, "The Girl Next Door." His films tend to have high-concept ideas that combine drama and comedy, or comedy and suspense. Luke writes and directs with a major emphasis on character and utilizes the power of music to help create emotional moments.
He began making movies at the age of 10 when his uncle gave him an old Super-8mm movie camera. As a kid, he was either making movies or watching them. He was brought up on the films of Francis Coppola, Marty Brest, John Hughes, Oliver Stone, Milos Forman and of course, Steven Spielberg. At age 13, Luke's dream was to become a filmmaker.
Luke's mother was concerned about this dream. They didn't know anyone or anything about the movie industry. So without Luke's knowing, his mother wrote a passionate letter to Steven Spielberg, Luke's filmmaking idol. In the letter she asked Spielberg if Luke had what it took and included two of Luke's high school short films.
Miraculously, the letter reached Steven Spielberg, and not only did he watch Luke's high school films, but he was so impressed, he wrote Luke a 2-page handwritten letter.
Spielberg encouraged Luke to continue making films and gave Luke some very telling advice about how to truly "reach" audiences. (Advice Luke claims he still uses today.) At the end of the letter Spielberg wrote: "Maybe someday our paths will cross - your raw beginnings are so similar to my own that I know you'll make it." His letter was the beginning of a story that would come full-circle years later.
Before Luke had graduated high school, he was accepted as an undergraduate to the USC School of Cinema-Television. There he made several student films including "Alive & Kicking," which won awards at many film festivals and Luke signed with his first agent, Jeff Robinov at ICM, at the age of 21. In 1994, Luke graduated from the USC Film School.
In 1999, Luke co-wrote and directed the short film, "The Right Hook." Adam Sandler and producers, Todd Garner and Greg Silverman, saw an early cut of the short and gave Luke his first opportunity to direct a studio feature called "The Animal" starring Rob Schneider. It was also Luke's first experience to direct a film he didn't co-write or write the screenplay himself.
Immediately after "The Animal," Luke went back to creating and directing his own material with the edgy coming-of-age film, "The Girl Next Door." The film was a breakout surprise for audiences and the studios as well. It was a teen comedy that transformed into a character journey combining comedy with realistic danger and poignant emotional moments. The film struck a chord with audiences and demonstrated the types of films Luke wanted to make. It also launched the careers of such new faces as Emile Hirsch, Olivia Wilde, Timothy Olyphant, Paul Dano, Chris Marquette and Elisha Cuthbert.
With the success of "The Girl Next Door," Luke's relationship with his childhood idol, Steven Spielberg, came full-circle. Spielberg happened to be a fan of "The Girl Next Door" and was surprised to discover Luke was the same kid he had written to 16 years earlier encouraging him to be a filmmaker. The two finally sat down together and discussed Luke's ultimate passion projects he's always wanted to make. But Luke was contractually under a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox and New Regency. This prevented Luke from setting up any of his passion projects with Spielberg and DreamWorks at the time.
In 2004, Luke created his film & TV production company, WideAwake, Inc., which gave Luke his first foray into television. He directed the critically acclaimed television pilot, "Aliens in America" for NBC/Universal Studios and the CW Network.
At New Regency, Luke created a few of his passion projects, including the comedy, "Role Models," which he produced for Universal Pictures.
Luke was then approached by producer Molly Smith to direct the film adaptation of the best-selling novel, "Something Borrowed." It was a bit out of his wheelhouse, but Luke was intrigued by the book and wanted to work with Molly Smith. The film was released by Warner Brothers in May 2011. The film became a cult hit and the studio is now developing the sequel.
Luke went back to directing his own material with the action-comedy, "Let's Be Cops," a film he developed from scratch which he co-wrote, directed and produced at 20th Century Fox. Like he successfully did with "The Girl Next Door," Luke cast newer faces such as Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Keegan-Michael Key (from "Key & Peele"), Nina Dobrev, Rob Riggle and a pivotal role by Andy Garcia.
20th Century Fox released "Let's Be Cops" on August 13th, 2014. The film was made for a total of $17 million and grossed over $137 million worldwide, becoming one of the most profitable films for Fox in 2014.
In January 2015, Luke sold his passion project, "Destiny," to Steven Spielberg and Amblin Partners. Luke has co-written the screenplay with Dana Stevens and will direct it. He will produce with Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis. "Destiny" has been the one film Luke has wanted to make since 1997.
Luke is currently attached to direct and produce the film, "The Holiday Club" at 20th Century Fox with Chernin Entertainment, and the films, "Slingshot," "Pop," and "The Last Bachelor."
In television, Luke is currently creating series specifically for cable. He co-created and co-wrote "The Greener Grass," which he will direct and executive produce.- Director
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Ernest Roscoe Dickerson A.S.C., aka. Ernest R. Dickerson, is an American film director and cinematographer. As a cinematographer, he is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee. As a director, he is known for films such as Juice (1992), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), Bones (2001) and Never Die Alone (2004). He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series such as Once Upon a Time (2011), The Wire (2002), Dexter (2006), and The Walking Dead (2010).