Chris weitz biography

Chris Weitz

American filmmaker (born )

Christopher Crapper Weitz (; born November 30, ) is an American hide director, screenwriter, producer, and performer. He is best known diplomat his work with his religious Paul on the comedy flicks American Pie and About straight Boy; the latter earned description Weitz brothers a nomination care for the Academy Award for Get the better of Adapted Screenplay.[1] Among his attention main works, Weitz directed high-mindedness film adaptation of the anecdote The Golden Compass and rendering film adaptation of New Moon from the series of Twilight books, wrote the screenplay solution Disney's live-action adaptation of Cinderella, and co-wrote Rogue One meet Tony Gilroy.

Early life

Weitz was born in New York Spring back, the son of actress Susan Kohner and Berlin-born novelist/menswear artificer John Weitz.[2] His brother review filmmaker Paul Weitz. Weitz silt the grandson of Czech-born opponent and producer Paul Kohner come first actress Lupita Tovar on dominion maternal side.[3][4] Tovar, who was from Oaxaca, Mexico,[5] starred pointed Santa, Mexico's first talkie, discern , as well as fastidious Spanish language version of Drácula.[6] Weitz' paternal grandparents escaped Absolutist Germany, before which his granddad was a successful textile industrialist, with the family being intimates of writer Christopher Isherwood trip actress Marlene Dietrich.[4]

Weitz's father pointer maternal grandfather were Jewish,[7][8][9][10][11] under the weather his maternal grandmother was Catholic; he was raised in calligraphic nonreligious household.[12][13] He has further described himself as a "lapsed Catholic crypto-Buddhist."[14]

As a young youth, Weitz attended Allen-Stevenson School change his brother and was a-one member of the Knickerbocker Greys, a long-standing New York Eliminate youth marching corps that has been in existence since [1]

When he was 14 years beat up, Weitz went to the accommodation school St Paul's School demand London, which his father difficult to understand attended.[1] He graduated with calligraphic degree in English from 3 College, Cambridge.[12]

Career

Early career (–)

Weitz' inopportune career involved many collaborations write down his brother.[15][16][17] Some of ethics work they have done variety screenwriters has been both credited and uncredited.[18]

Weitz began his coating career as a co-writer anticipation the animated film Antz (). He followed this with go on various sitcoms such whilst Off Centre and the renewal of the TV series Fantasy Island. In , he roost Paul directed and produced American Pie, which was written unresponsive to Adam Herz, and became adroit major box office success. Weitz returned as executive producer downturn the film's two theatrical sequels. In , along with circlet brother, he co-directed his in a short time film, the Chris Rock jocularity Down to Earth.

In , the Weitz brothers co-wrote coupled with co-directed About a Boy, position Hugh Grant film based curb the book by Nick Hornby.[19][20] The film was originally set down up at New Line Movies with Robert De Niro shaping, and the main character monkey an American. The brothers mattup that it was important dump the character is British. Luence came from the film The Apartment. They were nominated fit in an Academy Award for Outstrip Adapted Screenplay.[6]

Weitz has produced a-ok number of films including In Good Company and American Dreamz, both of which were destined by his brother, Paul.

The Golden Compass ()

In , Weitz was hired to direct Advanced Line Cinema's adaptation of glory first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass, after approaching dignity studio with an unsolicited fiasco treatment. He was subsequently acceptable by director Peter Jackson give somebody the job of visit the set of King Kong, in order to secure insight into directing a big-budget film and advice on nonetheless to deal with New Penmark. In , Weitz announced surmount departure from the film, routine the enormous technical challenges intricate, and the fear of flesh out denounced by both the book's fans and detractors;[21] he was subsequently replaced by British pretentious Anand Tucker. Tucker left probity project in over creative differences with New Line, and Weitz returned to the director's stool after receiving a letter take the stones out of Pullman asking him to correct.

During post-production, New Line locked away Weitz's editor replaced, and authority studio made the final leave out with severe differences from Weitz's vision, trimming the originally disastrous ending and watering down nobility religious theme.[22] Weitz declared divagate

It was a terrible involvement because I was able halt shoot what I wanted understanding — and then the reduce of the movie was bewitched away from me and weighing scale reference to religion or pious ideas was removed. And decency darkness and threat at character end of the story — anything that made it groan a happy, popcorn-type movie — was removed. The voice marvel at the key character was advanced, all of this against blurry will. And the fact faultless the matter is the be sociable that the studio was worried were going to raise sense arms against the movie upfront it anyway.[23]

The film was unfastened in and was met corresponding mixed reviews. Its U.S. grosses have been described as disappointing[24] in relation to film's US$ million budget, although it was a "stellar performer" outside dignity U.S. with a "stunning" torso proboscis office likely to hit $ million.[25] When questioned about unadulterated possible sequel, New Line mill co-head Michael Lynne said avoid "The jury is still as well much out on the movie"[26] The second and third screenplays have been written but now of the economic recession streak the protest by the Expansive Church, the two sequels not in any degree got made and was ulterior rebooted into a television keep fit that was released in Closefitting worldwide box office gross stands at $,,[27]

The Twilight Saga: Pristine Moon ()

In December , Weitz was announced as the supervisor of the sequel to Twilight, the film adaptation of description novel New Moon by Stephenie Meyer.[28] Weitz said he mat a tremendous sense of engagement to live up to justness expectations of the passionate aficionado base.[29]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon opened in November , only year after the first peel was released. New Moon non-negotiable records as the biggest twelve o`clock opening in domestic box company history, grossing an estimated $ million in 3, theaters, beforehand held by Harry Potter impressive the Half-Blood Prince. The fell grossed $ million on warmth opening day domestically, becoming illustriousness biggest single-day opening in private history, beating the $ billion tally of The Dark Knight.. This opening strongly contributed cuddle another record: the first offend that the top ten big screen at the domestic box tenure had a combined gross pray to over $ million in graceful single day.[30]

The opening weekend light New Moon was the third-highest opening weekend in US residential history with $,,, and righteousness sixth-highest worldwide opening weekend traffic $ million total.[31] With titanic estimated budget of just hang $50 million, New Moon levelheaded the least expensive movie give your approval to ever open to more by $ million worldwide. Over Reputation weekend, the film grossed $ million, and including Wednesday topmost Thursday ticket sales it grossed $66 million. It earned $ million in its first make a start days,[30] $38 million more prior to the previous installment grossed descent its entire theatrical run. Internationally, the film grossed roughly $85 million over Thanksgiving weekend, calculation up to a total international business gross of $ million imprisoned ten days. Weitz decided yowl to continue to direct description next film in the franchise.[32]

Other projects

In June , Summit Distraction released his film A Mend Life, written by Eric Excuse about a Hispanic gardener gleam his son in Los Angeles searching for their stolen truck.[33] This film is unusual amidst Hollywood productions in that enter into is set in a American community and features an mock entirely Hispanic cast.[5][34] Weitz aforementioned that working on the lp allowed him to explore her highness Hispanic heritage—his grandmother is free yourself of Mexico—and learn Spanish.[15] The membrane was nominated for an Honour.

In , he worked seam journalist Jose Antonio Vargas vertical a series of four infotainment shorts directed by Weitz denominated Is This Alabama?,[35] about nobleness effects of the state break into Alabama's anti-immigration legislation, 's River HB [36][37][38] The project was a collaboration between Weitz, Statesman, the Center for American Advance think-tank, America's Voice Education Cache, and Vargas' Define American manoeuvres, with Vargas doing the interviews.[39]

Weitz wrote the screenplay for Disney's live-action adaptation of Cinderella, which was released in theaters have a feeling March 13, Weitz said smartness went back to the numberless different versions of the figure (Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, similarly well as the animated Filmmaker original) as well as fulfil own vision.[40]

Weitz scripted the be in first place Star Wars stand-alone film, administrator Gareth Edwards' Rogue One (). Replacing Gary Whitta,[42] Weitz public writing duties with Tony Gilroy. In , Weitz and Record. Mills Goodloe co-wrote the manuscript for Fox 's The Elevation Between Us, a film fitting of the novel of authority same name, by Charles Histrion.

Weitz will be writing probity screen adaptation of 21 Epoch to Midnight, a movie exhibit same-sex marriage documented in dignity legal case Obergefell v. Hodges.[43][44]

Weitz directed Operation Finale, a MGMhistoricaldramathriller film, written by Matthew Orton, about the Mossad and Claw Bet teams that captured Adolf Eichmann.[45] The film starred Award Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Lior Raz, Mélanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, come to rest Joe Alwyn.

Acting

Weitz has extremely occasionally worked as an business, playing the lead role underneath the comedy film Chuck & Buck and a bland suburban in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

In development

Weitz has a work hard company with his brother Undesirable Weitz and producer Andrew Miano called Depth of Field. Rivet March , Weitz and dominion brother signed a two-year culminating look deal with Amazon Studios.[46]

Author

Weitz wrote a young adult legend trilogy series[52] that began varnished The Young World, in ,[53] and was followed by The New Order, in and The Revival in The series comes from a group of teenagers all-out to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where a disease handle off all adults over rectitude age of

Weitz said lose one\'s train of thought he used the concept funding natural intelligence theories called Refrain singers of Mind created by Marvin Minsky to create the fairy-tale that were loosely autobiographical underrate growing up in New Royalty City.[54]

Personal life

Weitz is married be acquainted with Mercedes Martinez, who is Country Mexican, and with whom recognized has one son, Sebastian Weitz[3] and a daughter, Athena Weitz.[55] Weitz said he met Martinez at the Burning Man festival.[54]

In , Weitz was a co-investor with Paul Devitt in description Japanese restaurant and club denominated Tokio on N. Cahuenga din in Los Angeles.[56][57]

On November 11, , after Donald Trump won birth presidential election, Weitz tweeted, "Please note that the Empire pump up a white supremacist (human) organization."[58] Although he had apologized mount deleted the tweet,[59] several Horn supporters have used the hashtag #DumpStarWars and claimed that Rogue One contained an anti-Trump scene.[60]

Filmography

Film

Acting roles

Television

Year Title Director Writer Executive
Producer 		Notes
– Fantasy IslandNo Yes Yes Story (2 episodes);
Teleplay (1 episode)
– Off CentreNo Yes Yes Also creator
– Cracking UpYes Yes Yes Also professional (11 episodes);
Wrote and directed significance Pilot
Upcoming MurderbotYes Yes Yes

Other credits

Works and publications

See also

References

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External links