Matt Reeves | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Reeves in 2014 | |
| Born | (1966-04-27)April 27, 1966 (age 59) |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Matt Reeves (born April 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He first gained recognition forthe WB drama seriesFelicity (1998–2002), which he co-created withJ. J. Abrams. Reeves came to widespread attention for directing the hit monster-filmCloverfield (2008). He also directed the vampire dramaLet Me In (2010), and the critically acclaimed science-fiction sequelsDawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) andWar for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He directed the superhero filmThe Batman (2022), which starsRobert Pattinson asthe titular character.
Reeves was born on April 27, 1966,[1] inRockville Centre, New York,[2] onLong Island. He moved with his family toLos Angeles when he was five. He made his first film at the age of eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera.[2] Reeves met and befriendedJ. J. Abrams, who also became a filmmaker, when both were 13 years old.[3] A Los Angelespublic-access television cable channel,Z Channel, was airing their short films.[4] When they were 15 or 16 years old,Steven Spielberg hired them to transfer some of his ownSuper 8 films to videotape.[3]
Reeves attended theUniversity of Southern California, where he was a screenwriting student for writerJeph Loeb.[5] Between 1991 and 1992, he produced a student film,Mr. Petrified Forest, which won an award[6] and helped him acquire an agent. He also co-wrote a script that eventually was developed asUnder Siege 2: Dark Territory.
Mr. Petrified Forrest made its debut in the horror anthology film "Future Shock" (1994). Reeves made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy filmThe Pallbearer (1996), which co-starredGwyneth Paltrow andDavid Schwimmer. The film was screened inUn Certain Regard section at the1996 Cannes Film Festival.[7]
Reeves was recognized for co-creating and showrunning theWB drama seriesFelicity, alongside J. J. Abrams.[8] The series ran for 84 episodes, from 1998 to 2002. Reeves directed several episodes of the series, including the pilot. He also directed episodes of various other television series, includingRelativity,Homicide: Life on the Street, andGideon's Crossing, among others.
Reeves gained further success and international recognition for his direction of the science fiction monster filmCloverfield (2008), which Abrams produced.[9] Reeves later served as an executive producer on10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) andThe Cloverfield Paradox (2018).[10]
In September 2008, Reeves was hired to write and direct thevampire filmLet Me In, an English-language adaptation of the 2004 novelLet the Right One In byJohn Ajvide Lindqvist and a remake of the2008 Swedish film of the same name.[11][12] The film, a co-production withHammer Films, was released in the United States on October 1, 2010, byOverture Films.[13]
In April 2011, Reeves signed on to write and direct an adaptation of theRay Nelson short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" forUniversal Pictures; the story was previously adapted as the 1988John Carpenter filmThey Live.[14] That October, Reeves signed on to direct a film based on the classic television seriesThe Twilight Zone,[15] but he left the project in September 2012.[16]
Reeves was brought on by20th Century Fox to direct the science-fiction filmDawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), the sequel toRise of the Planet of the Apes.[17] The film became a commercial and critical success and resulted in Reeves signing a three-year production deal with 20th Century Fox.[18] He then returned to write and direct the third film in the series,War for the Planet of the Apes, which was released on July 14, 2017.[19][20]
In January 2018, Reeves moved his production deal toNetflix, signing an exclusive first-look film deal with the company under his 6th & Idaho production banner.[21]
Reeves served as executive producer on theFox science fiction thriller seriesThe Passage, which aired for one season.[22] He also executive produced theAmazon Prime Video science fiction drama seriesTales from the Loop. The series, based on artwork bySimon Stålenhag, premiered to positive reviews in April 2020.[23][24]
In July 2020, Reeves signed an exclusive, multi-year overall deal withWarner Bros. Television to develop new television programming for all of the company's platforms under his production company, 6th & Idaho.[25] Reeves served as executive producer on theNetflix science-fiction drama seriesAway (2020), starringHilary Swank.[26] In August 2022, Reeves signed a multi-year first-look film and television deal withWarner Bros. Pictures.[27]
In April 2022, it was announced Reeves would serve as producer on the heist filmLift, directed byF. Gary Gray and starringKevin Hart,Úrsula Corberó andVincent D'Onofrio, forNetflix.[28] The film was released on Netflix on January 12, 2024.[29]
In February 2017, Reeves was hired to direct and produce aBatman film, titledThe Batman, which would serve as part of theDC Extended Universe (DCEU). He took over the position fromBen Affleck, who initially planned to stay involved as producer and star before dropping out completely, with Reeves opting to retool the film to separate it completely from the DCEU and focus on a younger incarnation of the character, allowing him the opportunity to create a more personal story in line with his own vision and understanding of the character.[30][31][32][33] Reeves co-wrote the screenplay withPeter Craig, and principal photography commenced in January 2020.[34][35] Premiering in London on February 23, 2022,The Batman was released theatrically on March 4, starringRobert Pattinson asBruce Wayne / Batman.[36][37][38] The film is expected to serve as the first installment of a new Batman film trilogy, as well as establish a newshared universe centred on Batman; the first sequel,The Batman Part II, was announced in April 2022 with Reeves returning to write and direct, and will be released in theatres in October 2027.[39][40][41][42]
In May 2021, Reeves was confirmed to be serving as an executive producer for a Batman animated series forHBO Max andCartoon Network, titledBatman: Caped Crusader, alongside J. J. Abrams andBruce Timm.[43] However, HBO Max dropped the series in August 2022; it was picked up byAmazon Prime Video in March 2023 with a two-season order and premiered on August 1, 2024.[44][45][46]
Reeves also executive producedThe Penguin, a limited seriesspin-off ofThe Batman forHBO, withColin Farrell reprising his role asOswald "Oz" Cobb / The Penguin from the film.Lauren LeFranc served as showrunner.[47]
In August 2020, Reeves was announced to be developing a television series adapted fromDiane Cook's novelThe New Wilderness, in association withWarner Bros. Television.[48]
He has been announced as producing several new works. In September 2020, Reeves was reported to produce a live-action movie of Andy Mcdermott's first novel,The Hunt for Atlantis, a Netflix work.[48] In March 2021, Reeves was announced as producer of an English-language remake of the Russian science fiction filmSputnik, together withVillage Roadshow Pictures.[49]
In February 2022, Reeves was announced as producer of the vampire filmSmile forNetflix, withWilliam McGregor directing.[50] In January 2023, it was announced Reeves would direct and executive produce a limited series aboutBuster Keaton starringRami Malek, with Ted Cohen writing; the project is expected to be based on the biographyBuster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life byJames Curtis.[51]
AlongsideJames Gunn andPeter Safran, Reeves is set to produce multipleBatman-related projects through 6th & Idaho Productions in collaboration withDC Studios.[52] In October 2024, Reeves was attached as a co-producer onDynamic Duo, an animated film based on theDick Grayson andJason Todd incarnations ofRobin in association withWarner Bros. Pictures Animation, with animation services provided by Swaybox.[53] In December 2024, Reeves and Lynn Harris were set to co-produceClayface, a standalone film based on thecharacter of the same name written byMike Flanagan and set in theDC Universe (DCU) franchise.[54]
Reeves is married to Melinda Wang, a former animator, since 1999. They have one son together.[2]
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mr. Petrified Forest | Yes | Yes | Later released as a segment in the anthologyFuture Shock (1994) |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | No | Yes | No |
| 1996 | The Pallbearer | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2000 | The Yards | No | Yes | Co-producer |
| 2008 | Cloverfield | Yes | No | No |
| 2010 | Let Me In | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2014 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Yes | No | No |
| 2017 | War for the Planet of the Apes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2022 | The Batman | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Producer
Executive producer
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Relativity | Yes | No | Episode: "Billable Hours" |
| Homicide: Life on the Street | Yes | No | Episode: "All is Bright" | |
| 1998–2002 | Felicity | Yes | Yes | Also creator Directed 5 episodes |
| 2000 | Gideon's Crossing | Yes | No | Episode: "The Gift" |
| 2003 | Miracles | Yes | No | Episode: "The Ferguson Syndrome" |
| 2006 | Conviction | Yes | No | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2019 | The Passage | No | Yes | |
| Surveillance | No | Yes | Unsold TV pilot | |
| 2020 | Tales from the Loop | No | Yes | |
| Away | No | Yes | ||
| 2021 | Ordinary Joe | No | Yes | Also creator Co-writer for episode: "Way Leads on to Way" |
| 2024 | Batman: Caped Crusader | No | Yes | |
| The Penguin | No | Yes |
| Title | Rotten Tomatoes[55] | Metacritic[56] | CinemaScore[57] | Budget | Box office[58] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pallbearer | 48% (21 reviews) | N/a | N/a | $5 million | $7.65 million |
| Cloverfield | 78% (213 reviews) | 64 (37 reviews) | C | $25 million | $170.8 million |
| Let Me In | 88% (237 reviews) | 79 (35 reviews) | C+ | $20 million | $24.1 million |
| Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | 91% (318 reviews) | 79 (48 reviews) | A– | $170 million | $710.6 million |
| War for the Planet of the Apes | 94% (365 reviews) | 82 (50 reviews) | A– | $150 million | $490.7 million |
| The Batman | 85% (508 reviews) | 72 (68 reviews) | A– | $200 million | $770.8 million |
Born in Rockville Centre, N.Y....
