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Jonathan Liebesman | |
|---|---|
 Liebesman atSan Diego Comic-Con in July 2010 | |
| Born | (1976-09-15)15 September 1976 (age 49) Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2000-present |
Jonathan Liebesman (born 15 September 1976) is a South African film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the filmsDarkness Falls (2003),The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006),Battle: Los Angeles (2011),Wrath of the Titans (2012), andTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).
Liebesman was born inJohannesburg,South Africa. He studiedfilmmaking at theAFDA, TheSouth African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance and atNYU'sTisch School of the Arts. He isJewish. His cousin is directorDean Israelite.[1]
At Tisch, he co-wrote and directed an 8-minute short film,Genesis and Catastrophe, adapted from aRoald Dahl short story. The film was screened at numerous festivals around the world, and in 2000 won an award in the category of 'best short' at theAustin Film Festival. This earned Liebesman the "Hollywood Young Filmmaker Award" at theHollywood Film Festival in 2000.
In 2002, he directed his debut featureDarkness Falls at the age of 26. Although the film suffered from generally weak reviews, it opened at no. 1 at the USbox office. The film grossed over $32.5 million at the US box office, and a further $15 million worldwide.[2] The film was nominated for Best Horror/Thriller at theTeen Choice Awards in 2003, while the film's star,Emma Caulfield, won Face of the Future from theAcademy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films that year.
Liebesman's next project,Rings (2005) (which he co-wrote withEhren Kruger), was a 17-minute short that chronologically follows the events of the full-length feature,The Ring, and serves as a prequel toThe Ring Two (2005). It provided an insightful transition between the two films and garnered high praise from fans of both feature-length films.[citation needed]
The film's success brought him to the attention ofMichael Bay and his production company,Platinum Dunes, who hired him to directThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreprequel titledThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.[3]
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning opened in US theaters on 6 October 2006, and proved another box office hit for Liebesman. The $16 million movie opened at No 2 at the US box office with $18.5 million. As of 31 December 2006, the film had grossed around $50 million worldwide, including over $39.5 million in the US.
In 2007, it was initially announced that Liebesman would be the director of theFriday the 13th reboot[4][5] but as of November 2007,Marcus Nispel, director ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake of 2003, replaced Liebesman.[6]
In 2008, Liebesman completed directing his third full-length feature film,The Killing Room, a political thriller starringChloë Sevigny,Nick Cannon,Timothy Hutton andPeter Stormare, about four people in a psychological study who discover they are subjects in a brutal and classified government program. The film debuted in the non-competition program at theSundance Festival in January 2009.[7][8]
In November 2008,Columbia Pictures announced that Liebesman would direct thescience fiction filmBattle: Los Angeles. The $70 million film – based on the story written by Chris Bertolini – revolved around a marine platoon's encounter in a battle against an alien invasion on the streets of Los Angeles.[9] The film opened at no. 1 at the US box office on 11 March 2011, and earned over $80 million at the US box office, and over $200 million globally.[10]
In early 2009, it was announced that Liebesman was attached to direct a newWarner Bros. film titledOdysseus, an epic based onHomer'sOdyssey.[11]
In June 2010, Liebesman was named as the director of the sequel toClash of the Titans, titledWrath of the Titans, starringSam Worthington,Ralph Fiennes, andLiam Neeson.[12]Principal photography began on 23 March 2011, with filming taking place in summer 2011 in studios outsideLondon and on location inSurrey, South Wales and in theCanary Islands on the island ofTenerife. The film was released on 30 March 2012. Like its predecessor, the film was lambasted by critics and plans for a sequel,Revenge of the Titans never got off the ground.[citation needed]
In July 2011, it was announced that Warner Bros. and Liebesman would be collaborating on an upcomingbiopic aboutJulius Caesar.[13]
In February 2012, Liebesman was brought in to direct the reboot of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film series,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, beatingBrett Ratner among others.[14] Filming began in March 2013 inTupper Lake,New York. Production for the film wrapped on 3 August 2013, and the movie was released in August 2014.[15] The movie was a box office success, but received negative reviews from critics and the TMNT fan base alike.[citation needed] The film was nominated for fiveGolden Raspberry Awards in2015 includingWorst Director, while the film's star,Megan Fox, wonWorst Supporting Actress.
In April 2019, Liebesman oversaw reshoots forDolittle (2020) alongside writerChris McKay and the film's directorStephen Gaghan; the reshoots moved the film's release from April 2019 to January 2020.[16]
In 2022 he directed the season 1 finale of the action seriesHalo.[17]
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Genesis and Catastrophe | Yes | Yes | Also producer, editor and post-production sound designer |
| 2005 | Rings | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Darkness Falls | |
| 2006 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | |
| 2009 | The Killing Room | |
| 2011 | Battle: Los Angeles | |
| 2012 | Wrath of the Titans | |
| 2014 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Nominated -Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
| 2020 | Dolittle | Director of reshoots (uncredited) and executive producer |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Shannara Chronicles | Yes | Yes | Episode "Chosen" (Part 1 & 2) |
| 2022 | Halo | Yes | No | 4 episodes |
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