Wikipedia

Matt Reeves

Not to be confused with Matthew Reeve, Matthew Reeves, or Matt Reeves (politician).

Matt Reeves (born April 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker who first gained recognition for the WB drama series Felicity (1998–2002), which he co-created with J. J. Abrams. Reeves came to widespread attention for directing the hit monster-film Cloverfield (2008). He also directed the vampire drama Let Me In (2010), and the critically acclaimed science-fiction sequels Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He directed the superhero film The Batman (2022), which stars Robert Pattinson as the title character.

Matt Reeves
Reeves in 2014
Born (1966-04-27) April 27, 1966 (age 58)
Rockville Centre, New York, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1994–present
SpouseMelinda Wang
Children1

Early life

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Reeves was born on April 27, 1966,[1] in Rockville Centre, New York,[2] on Long Island. He moved with his family to Los 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 befriended J. J. Abrams, who also became a filmmaker, when both were 13 years old.[3] A Los Angeles public-access television cable channel, Z Channel, was airing their short films.[4] When Reeves and Abrams were 15 or 16 years old, Steven Spielberg hired them to transfer some of his own Super 8 films to videotape.[3]

Reeves attended the University of Southern California, where he was a screenwriting student for writer Jeph 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 as Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. After graduating, he co-wrote Cloverfield, which he later directed.

Career

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Reeves made his directorial film debut with the horror anthology film Future Shock (1994). He also directed the romantic comedy film The Pallbearer (1996), which co-starred Gwyneth Paltrow and David Schwimmer. The film was screened in Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[7]

Reeves was recognized for co-creating and showrunning the WB drama series Felicity, 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, including Relativity, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Gideon's Crossing, among others.

Reeves gained further success and international recognition for his direction of the science fiction monster film Cloverfield (2008), which Abrams produced.[9] Reeves later served as an executive producer on 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018).[10]

In September 2008, Reeves was hired to write and direct the vampire film Let Me In, an English-language adaptation of the 2004 novel Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist and a remake of the 2008 Swedish film of the same name.[11][12] The film, a co-production with Hammer Films, was released in the United States on October 1, 2010, by Overture Films.[13]

In April 2011, Reeves signed on to write and direct an adaptation of the Ray Nelson short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" for Universal Pictures; the story was previously adapted as the 1988 John Carpenter film They Live.[14] That October, Reeves signed on to direct a film based on the classic television series The Twilight Zone,[15] but he left the project in September 2012.[16]

Reeves was brought on by 20th Century Fox to direct the science-fiction film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), the sequel to Rise 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 to Netflix, signing an exclusive first-look film deal with the company under his 6th & Idaho production banner.[21]

Reeves served as executive producer on the Fox science fiction thriller series The Passage, which aired for one season.[22] He also executive produced the Amazon Prime Video science fiction drama series Tales from the Loop. The series, based on artwork by Simon Stålenhag, premiered to positive reviews in April 2020.[23][24]

In July 2020, Reeves signed an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with Warner 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 the Netflix science-fiction drama series Away (2020), starring Hilary Swank.[26] In August 2022, Reeves signed a multi-year first-look film and television deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.[27]

In April 2022, it was announced Reeves would serve as producer on the heist film Lift, directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Kevin Hart, Úrsula Corberó and Vincent D'Onofrio, for Netflix.[28] The film was released on Netflix on January 12, 2024.[29]

The Batman

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In February 2017, Reeves was hired to direct and produce a Batman film, titled The Batman, which would serve as part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). He took over the position from Ben 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 with Peter 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, starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce 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 new shared 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 for HBO Max and Cartoon Network, titled Batman: Caped Crusader, alongside J. J. Abrams and Bruce Timm.[43] However, in August 2022, HBO Max dropped the series, with the series picked up by Amazon Prime Video in March 2023 with a two-season order; the series premiered on August 1, 2024.[44][45][46]

Reeves also executive produced The Penguin, a limited series spin-off of The Batman for HBO, with Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oswald "Oz" Cobb / The Penguin from the film. Lauren LeFranc served as showrunner.[47]

Upcoming projects

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In August 2020, Reeves was announced to be developing a television series adapted from Diane Cook's novel The New Wilderness, in association with Warner 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 film Sputnik, together with Village Roadshow Pictures.[49]

In February 2022, Reeves was announced as producer of the vampire film Smile for Netflix, with William McGregor directing.[50] In January 2023, it was announced Reeves would direct and executive produce a limited series about Buster Keaton starring Rami Malek, with Ted Cohen writing; the project is expected to be based on the biography Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life by James Curtis.[51]

Alongside James Gunn and Peter Safran, Reeves is set to produce multiple Batman-related projects through 6th & Idaho Productions in collaboration with DC Studios.[52] In October 2024, Reeves was attached as a co-producer on Dynamic Duo, an animated film based on the Dick Grayson and Jason Todd incarnations of Robin in association with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, with animation services provided by Swaybox.[53] In December 2024, Reeves and Lynn Harris were set to co-produce Clayface, a standalone film based on the character of the same name written by Mike Flanagan and set in the DC Universe (DCU) franchise.[54]

Personal life

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Reeves is married to Melinda Wang, a former animator. They have one son together.[2]

Filmography

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Short film

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1992 Mr. Petrified Forest Yes Yes Later released as a segment in the anthology Future Shock (1994)

Feature film

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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
2021 Mother/Android No No Yes
2022 The Batman Yes Yes Yes
2024 Lift No No Yes
TBA The Wrecking Crew No No Yes

Executive producer

Television

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Year Title Director Writer Executive
Producer 		Notes
1997 Relativity Yes No No Episode: "Billable Hours"
Homicide: Life on the Street Yes No No Episode: "All is Bright"
1998–2002 Felicity Yes No Yes Also creator; Directed 5 episodes
2000 Gideon's Crossing Yes No No Episode: "The Gift"
2003 Miracles Yes No No Episode: "The Ferguson Syndrome"
2006 Conviction Yes No No Episode: "Pilot"
2019 The Passage No No Yes
Surveillance No No Yes Unsold TV pilot
2020 Tales from the Loop No No Yes
Away No No Yes
2021 Ordinary Joe No Yes Yes Creator; co-wrote episode "Way Leads on to Way"
2024 Batman: Caped Crusader No No Yes Co-developed with Bruce Timm and J. J. Abrams
The Penguin No No Yes

Reception

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Critical response

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Title Rotten Tomatoes[55] Metacritic[56] CinemaScore[57] Budget Box office[58]
The Pallbearer 48% (21 reviews) — — $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

Accolades

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Year Association Work Category Result Ref.
2008 Saturn Awards Cloverfield Filmmakers Showcase Award Won [59]
2010 Fright Meter Awards Let Me In Best Screenplay Won [60]
Best Director Nominated
Gotham Independent Film Awards Best Feature Nominated [61]
2011 Saturn Awards Best Director Nominated [62]
Best Writing Nominated
2014 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Best Film Nominated [63]
2015 Saturn Awards Best Director Nominated [64]
Empire Awards Best Director Nominated [65]
2018 Saturn Awards War for the Planet of the Apes Best Director Nominated [66]
2022 Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards The Batman Best Director Nominated [67]
Best Screenplay Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Director Won [68]
Best Writing Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Matt Reeves". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Wolfe, Alexandra (July 3, 2014). "Director Matt Reeves on 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2024. Born in Rockville Centre, N.Y....
  3. ^ a b Kathleen Kennedy in Handy, Bruce (May 20, 2015). "What Star Wars: The Force Awakens Producer Kathleen Kennedy Learned From Working With a Teenage J. J. Abrams". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Neil Daniels A Study in Genius: The Unofficial Biography, p. 54, at Google Books
  5. ^ @mattreevesLA (April 19, 2018). "Fun fact: Jeph Loeb was one of my screenwriting teachers at @usc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ Campbell, Christopher (July 7, 2014). "Watch 'Mr. Petrified Forrest,' the Debut Film By 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Helmer Matt Reeves". filmschoolrejects.com. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  7. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Pallbearer". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  8. ^ David Hofstede 5000 Episodes and No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows On DVD, p. 221, at Google Books
  9. ^ "00's Retrospect: Horror Softens Up in 2008". Bloody-disgusting.com. December 29, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  10. ^ "Matt Reeves Talks Cloverfield 2". Dreadcentral.com. March 13, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  11. ^ McNary, Dave; Fleming, Michael (September 24, 2008). "Matt Reeves bites into 'Right One'". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Matt Reeves Talks DayCation – Promises a Darker Experience". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  13. ^ "'DayCation' Dark and More Thrilling Than 'Twilight'". Bloody-disgusting.com. January 20, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  14. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 11, 2011). "Matt Reeves To Write/Direct Universal Thriller Based On Famed Sci-Fi Short Story". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  15. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 15, 2011). "Exclusive! Matt Reeves Is Warner Bros' Pick For 'Twilight Zone' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  16. ^ Chitwood, Adam (September 25, 2012). "Matt Reeves No Longer Directing The Twilight Zone". Collider. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
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  19. ^ "Sorry, Ya' Damned Dirty 'Apes,' Next Sequel Moved to 2017 - Bloody Disgusting!". January 6, 2015.
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  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2018). "Fox Picks Up Drama Pilot The Passage Starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar To Series". Deadline Hollywood.
  23. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 17, 2018). "'Tales From the Loop' TV Series Set at Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 6, 2020). "Matt Reeves Inks Overall Deal With Warner Bros. Television Group". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  26. ^ Otterson, Joe (June 10, 2018). "Netflix Orders Mars Mission Drama From Jason Katims, Matt Reeves". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  27. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 23, 2022). "'The Batman' Director Matt Reeves Sets Multi-Year First Look Film Deal At Warner Bros. & Re-Ups With Warner Bros Television". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "Matt Reeves producing F. Gary Gray's Netflix film 'Lift'". Deadline. April 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Marshall, Carrie (August 1, 2023). "Netflix delays the release of six movies amid the writers' and actors' strike". TechRadar. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  30. ^ Couch, Aaron (February 23, 2017). "'The Batman': Matt Reeves Closes Deal to Direct and Produce". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  31. ^ McMillan, Graeme (August 24, 2017). "Yes, 'The Batman' Exists in the DC Extended Universe, Director Says". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 30, 2019). "'The Batman' To Fly In Summer 2021; Ben Affleck Passes The Torch To Next Generation Of Bruce Wayne". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  33. ^ Mullally, William (January 27, 2022). "The Batman: Director Matt Reeves reveals how he got his dream film made". Esquire Middle East – the Region's Best Men's Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  34. ^ "The Batman / Synopsis". TheBatman.com. Warner Bros. Pictures. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  35. ^ Pearson, Ben (January 6, 2020). "Criminals of Gotham, Beware: 'The Batman' Has Begun Filming". /Film. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  36. ^ Gomez, Dessi (February 23, 2022). "Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz Turn Heads at 'The Batman' Red Carpet Premiere (Photos)". The Wrap. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  37. ^ McNary, Dave (May 31, 2019). "Robert Pattinson Is Officially 'The Batman'". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  38. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 5, 2020). "'The Batman' Flies To 2022 Post 'Dune' Drift, 'Matrix 4' Moves Up To Christmas 2021, 'Shazam! 2' Zaps To 2023 & More WB Changes – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
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  40. ^ Agard, Chancellor (February 16, 2022). "Knight Moves: Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz take flight in The Batman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  41. ^ McClintock, Pamela; Parker, Ryan (April 26, 2022). "'The Batman' Sequel Set With Robert Pattinson and Director Matt Reeves". The Hollywood Reporter.
  42. ^ Kit, Borys (January 31, 2023). "DC Slate Unveiled: New Batman, Supergirl Movies, a Green Lantern TV Show, and More from James Gunn, Peter Safran". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  43. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (May 19, 2021). "'Batman: Caped Crusader' Animated Series From Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves Set At HBO Max & Cartoon Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  44. ^ Petski, Denise (August 22, 2022). "'Batman: Caped Crusader' Series Not Moving Forward At HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  45. ^ White, Peter (March 9, 2023). "'Batman: Caped Crusader' Lands Two-Season Order At Amazon After Being Axed At HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  46. ^ Kuznikov, Selena (May 9, 2024). "'Batman: Caped Crusader' First Look: J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves-Produced Animated Series Sets August Release on Prime Video". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  47. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 10, 2022). "HBO Max Orders 'The Penguin' Limited Series As 'The Batman' Clocks $301 Million At Global Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  48. ^ a b Del Rosario, Alexandra (August 6, 2020). "Diane Cook's 'The New Wilderness' Novel In The Works For Television From Matt Reeves' 6th & Idaho & Warner Bros. TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  49. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (March 29, 2021). "Village Roadshow & Matt Reeves' 6th & Idaho Team For English-Language Remake Of Russian Sci-Fi 'Sputnik'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  50. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 22, 2022). "'Smile': William McGregor Set To Direct Vampire Feature For Netflix, 6th & Idaho". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  51. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 19, 2023). "Rami Malek-Starring Buster Keaton Limited Series From Matt Reeves In Works At Warner Bros TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  52. ^ Tinoco, Armando (December 17, 2023). "DC Studios Co-Head James Gunn Says Matt Reeves' Batman Arkham Series In Development Is Set In New DCU". Deadline. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  53. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 1, 2024). "The Robins' Origin Story Dynamic Duo In The Works With DC Studios, WBPA & 6th & Idaho; Movie To Be Made With Puppetry Animation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  54. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (December 13, 2024). "DC's 'Clayface' Movie From Mike Flanagan Lands 2026 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  55. ^ "Matt Reeves". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  56. ^ "Matt Reeves". Metacritic. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  57. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  58. ^ "Matt Reeves Movie Box office". boxofficemojo.com. Amazon.com. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  59. ^ Sciretta, Peter (June 25, 2008). "2008 Saturn Awards Winners". Slashfilm. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  60. ^ "2010 Fright Meter Awards Winners". Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  61. ^ "2010 Winners and nominees". Gotham Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  62. ^ Miller, Ross (February 25, 2011). "Inception Leads 2011 Saturn Award Nominees". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  63. ^ Colton, David (March 12, 2015). "THE 13TH ANNUAL RONDO HATTON CLASSIC HORROR AWARDS". Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  64. ^ Blakes, Emily (March 4, 2015). "2015 Saturn Awards: 'Captain America: Winter Soldier,' 'Walking Dead' lead nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  65. ^ "The full list of winners from the Empire Awards 2015". Irish Examiner. March 29, 2015. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  66. ^ McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  67. ^ "And the winners of the 5th Annual HCA Midseason Awards are…". Hollywood Critics Association. July 1, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  68. ^ Tinoco, Armando (August 12, 2022). "Saturn Awards Nominations: 'The Batman', 'Nightmare Alley', 'Spider-Man', 'Better Call Saul' Top List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
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