Jaume Collet-Serra

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Jaume Collet-Serra
Collet-Serra in June 2015
Born (1974-03-23) 23 March 1974 (age 50)
Alma materColumbia College Hollywood
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
Years active1998–present
Websitejaumecolletserra.com

Jaume Collet-Serra (Catalan: [ˈʒawmə kuˈʎɛt ˈsɛrə]; born 23 March 1974) is a Spanish-American film director and producer. He directed the horror films House of Wax (2005), Orphan (2009), and The Shallows (2016), as well as the Liam Neeson-led thriller films Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2014), Run All Night (2015), and The Commuter (2018). Collet-Serra also directed the Dwayne Johnson-led films, Jungle Cruise (2021), based on the eponymous theme park attraction from Disney, and Black Adam (2022), based on the comic book character of the same name from DC.

Early life[edit]

Collet-Serra was born in Sant Iscle de Vallalta, Catalonia, Spain. At the age of 18, he moved to Los Angeles, California and attended Columbia College Hollywood, working as an editor on the side. After graduating in 1996, he began directing music videos and television commercials for brands such as PlayStation, Budweiser, and Verizon.[1]

Career[edit]

2005–2010: House of Wax and Orphan[edit]

In 2005, Collet-Serra was given an opportunity to direct his first feature film by producer Joel Silver. The film, House of Wax, was a remake of the 1953 film of the same name, and starred Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray and featured Paris Hilton. Despite a negative critical reception, it was a financial success. Two years later, Collet-Serra directed Goal II: Living the Dream, the second film in the Goal! film trilogy, in which the main character, star Mexican footballer Santiago Muñez (Kuno Becker), goes to play for Real Madrid. Collet-Serra reunited with producer Silver for his third film, Orphan, a 2009 American psychological horror film starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman, about on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious nine-year-old girl.[2] The film received mixed critical reviews but was a box office success, earning around $80 million on a $20 million budget.

2011–2015: Unknown, The River, Non-Stop and Mindscape[edit]

Collet-Serra then directed Unknown, a 2011 action thriller starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, and Frank Langella.[3] The film is based on the 2003 French novel published in English as Out of My Head, by Didier Van Cauwelaert.[4] Collet-Serra made his television directing debut with the ABC pilot The River, a horror drama from Paranormal Activity writer-director Oren Peli.[5] The show was met with generally favourable reviews.[6] In December 2012, he began filming for his next film Non-Stop,[7] which starred Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.[8]

Collet-Serra formed his own production house Ombra Films. With money from StudioCanal, the small company set out to make low-budget English-language horror films, with an eye toward launching the careers of up-and-coming Spanish filmmakers. Juan Sola, Collet-Serra's producing partner, told Deadline Hollywood, "We've seen how many talented directors are coming out of Spain, but there hasn't really been a platform for them to find work in films. They look up to Jaume as a guy they want to become and we thought, how about a company that creates a bridge between Spain and the U.S., similar to what Luc Besson provided in France? Already, we are being bombarded, and we feel directors will find Ombra a fantastic platform. Jaume loves mentoring new talent." The venture's first film was Mindscape, a psychological thriller about a man with the ability to enter people's memories, starring Taissa Farmiga, Mark Strong, and Brian Cox.[9] Collet-Serra executive produced the found footage comedy-horror film Hooked Up,[10] which was directed by Pablo Larcuen and was shot on an iPhone.[11]

2016–present: The Shallows, The Commuter, Jungle Cruise and Black Adam[edit]

Collet-Serra directed and executive produced The Shallows, a 2016 horror-thriller starring Blake Lively, from a script by Anthony Jaswinski,[12] and The Commuter, an action-thriller starring Liam Neeson, which was released on January 12, 2018, and also features Vera Farmiga, Sam Neill, and Elizabeth McGovern.[13]

Collet-Serra served as director for Jungle Cruise from The Walt Disney Company, starring Dwayne Johnson. The film was based on the concept of the ride of the same name at Disneyland.[14]

In June 2019, Collet-Serra signed on to direct Black Adam, written by Adam Sztykiel and starring Dwayne Johnson. Johnson served as a producer on the project alongside Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, and Scott Sheldon. Collet-Serra emerged as the frontrunner to direct after his work on Jungle Cruise. The film is a co-production between Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPicturesCo. film studios.[15][16] Production began in April 2021.[17]

Upcoming projects[edit]

In March 2019 TheWrap reported that Collet-Serra was to direct Victory, a remake of the 1981 film Escape to Victory.[18]

In August 2021, Collet-Serra signed on to direct a sequel to Jungle Cruise.[19]

Collet-Serra is also set to direct an upcoming thriller for Netflix, titled Carry-On. It will follow a TSA agent blackmailed into allowing a dangerous package on board a flight and will star Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman.[20]

In February 2024, it was announced that Collet-Serra would direct The Woman in the Yard, produced by Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions and starring Danielle Deadwyler. The film was originally scheduled to be released on January 10, 2025,[21] but was removed from the release schedule in March 2024.[22]

Personal life[edit]

Collet-Serra resides in the Hollywood Hills West neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.[23]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Director Executive
Producer
2005 House of Wax Yes No
2007 Goal II: Living the Dream Yes No
2009 Orphan Yes No
2011 Unknown Yes No
2014 Non-Stop Yes No
2015 Run All Night Yes Yes
2016 The Shallows Yes Yes
2018 The Commuter Yes Yes
2021 Jungle Cruise Yes No
2022 Black Adam Yes No
2024 Carry-On Yes No

Producer

Executive producer only

Television[edit]

Year Title Director Producer Notes
2012 The River Yes Yes Episodes "Magus" and "Marbeley"
2018 Reverie Yes Executive Episode "Apertus"

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bio". Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. ^ Diane Garrett, Tatiana Siegel (29 November 2007). "Sarsgaard, Farmiga join 'Orphan'". Variety. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  3. ^ "Unknown White Male Starts Principal Photography". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  4. ^ Dargis, Manohla (17 February 2011). "Me, My Doppelgänger and a Dunk in the River". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  5. ^ Mark, Steven (3 June 2011). "ABC to move 'The River' filming to isles". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  6. ^ "The River: Season 1]". Metacritic. 7 February 2012.
  7. ^ "'Non-Stop', starring Liam Neeson, filming in NYC". On Location Vacations. 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Silver Pictures Picks Up Remake Rights to French Heist Film 'Le Convoyeur' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Jaume Collet-Serra set to produce psychological thriller 'Mindscape'". Joblo. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Hooked Up". DC. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Hooked Up". Joblo. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  12. ^ "Sony's 'The Shallows' To Shoot In Australia". Variety. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Jaume Collet-Serra Reunites With Liam Neeson On Studiocanal's 'The Commuter'". Deadline Hollywood. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Jaume Collet-Serra To Direct Dwayne Johnson In 'Jungle Cruise:' No 'Suicide Squad 2'". Deadline Hollywood. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (7 June 2019). "Jaume Collet-Serra Eyed to Direct DC's Black Adam Starring Dwayne Johnson". Variety. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  16. ^ Katz, Brandon (7 June 2019). "Exclusive: Jaume Collet-Serra In Talks to Direct Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam". The Observer. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. ^ Joe Anderton (10 April 2021). "Dwayne Johnson announces DC's Black Adam has started filming". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Jaume Collet-Serra to Direct 'Victory' Remake at Warner Bros (Exclusive)". TheWrap. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  19. ^ Kit, Borys (30 August 2021). "'Jungle Cruise' Sequel in the Works at Disney (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  20. ^ Kroll, Justin (31 August 2022). "Jason Bateman To Co-Star Opposite Taron Egerton In Amblin And Netflix Thriller 'Carry On' From Jaume Collet-Serra". Deadline.
  21. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (14 February 2024). "Blumhouse Sets The Woman In The Yard With Danielle Deadwyler As Star & EP; Jaume Collet-Serra To Direct, EP". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (29 March 2024). "Blumhouse's 'Wolf Man' Runs From Fall To MLK Weekend 2025; 'The Woman In The Yard' Unset For Now". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  23. ^ Leitereg, Neal J. (14 March 2017). "Filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra lands a modern spot in Hollywood Hills West". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

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