Matt Reeves
American filmmaker (born 1966)
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Matt Reeves (born April 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He 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 titular character.
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- Director
- producer
- screenwriter
Matt Reeves | |
|---|---|
Reeves in 2014 | |
| Born | April 27, 1966 |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Spouse |
Melinda Wang (m. 1999) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
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 they 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.
Career
Early career and 2000s
Mr. Petrified Forrest made its debut in the horror anthology film "Future Shock" (1994). Reeves made his directorial debut with 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]
2010s
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]
2020s
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 and other related projects
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, HBO Max dropped the series in August 2022; it was picked up by Amazon Prime Video in March 2023 with a two-season order and 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 and unrealized projects
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
Reeves is married to Melinda Wang, a former animator, since 1999. They have one son together.[2]
Filmography
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
| 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
- Mother/Android (2021)
- Lift (2024)
- The Wrecking Crew (2026)
- Clayface (2026)
Executive producer
- 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
- The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
- Animal Farm (2025)
Television
| 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 | ||
Reception
Critical response and box office
| 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 |
