Oren Uziel
- Film screenwriter
- Director
- Producer
- Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
- 22 Jump Street
- The Cloverfield Paradox
- The Lost City
Oren Uziel (born June 28, 1974) is an American film screenwriter, director, and producer best known for his work on Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010), 22 Jump Street (2014), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), and The Lost City (2022).
Early life
Oren Uziel was born on June 28, 1974, in Evanston, Illinois.[1]
Career
In April 2010, Uziel began his career when he co-wrote the fan film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth,[2][3] which led to New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. hiring him to script a feature-length Mortal Kombat film in September 2011.[4][5] After languishing in development hell for nearly a decade, the Mortal Kombat reboot film was finally released in April 2021, with Uziel credited as a co-story writer.[6] In December 2010, his screenplay for the comedy horror film The Kitchen Sink appeared on The Black List,[7] before being picked up by Sony Pictures in February 2012[8] and eventually released as Freaks of Nature in October 2015.[9] In 2011, he scripted the horror film Shimmer Lake,[10][11] which he eventually directed in 2016, making his directorial debut.[12]
In November 2012, he wrote the screenplay for the science fiction horror film God Particle, which was eventually released in February 2018 as The Cloverfield Paradox.[11][10] In May 2013, he was writing the screenplay for Men in Black 4.[13] In September 2013, he scripted the action comedy film 22 Jump Street.[14] In December 2013, he teamed up with John Krasinski to write an action-adventure film for Warner Bros.[15] In April 2018, he wrote a draft for the action comedy film Borderlands,[16][17] but after several rewrites, he was officially credited for "additional literary material".[18] In August 2018, he wrote a screenplay for a Supergirl film.[19][20] In January 2019, he was writing the sequel to Detective Pikachu,[21][22] however he eventually left the project by February 2023.[23]
In April 2019, he co-wrote the screenplays for Sonic the Hedgehog and Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, but went uncredited in the former.[24][25][26] In September 2019, he was hired to write a Face/Off remake,[27] however he eventually left the project by February 2021.[28] In October 2020, he drafted the screenplay for the romantic comedy film The Lost City,[29][30] prior to providing additional literary material for Strays,[31][32] Sonic the Hedgehog 3,[33] and Kraven the Hunter.[34] In August 2022, he wrote the screenplay for a Clue remake.[35] In February 2023, he was hired as showrunner and executive producer on the superhero streaming series Spider-Noir.[36][37] In April 2023, he was hired to draft the screenplay for Fast XI.[38][39][40]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Mortal Kombat: Rebirth | Kevin Tancharoen | Short film[3] |
2014 | 22 Jump Street | Phil Lord Christopher Miller | [14] |
2015 | Freaks of Nature | Robbie Pickering | [9] |
2017 | Shimmer Lake | Himself | [12] |
2018 | The Cloverfield Paradox | Julius Onah | [11] |
2020 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Jeff Fowler | Uncredited screenwriter[24] |
2021 | Mortal Kombat | Simon McQuoid | Story only[6] |
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions | Adam Robitel | Also co-producer[26] | |
2022 | The Lost City | Aaron and Adam Nee | [30] |
Additional literary material only
- Strays (2023)[31][32]
- Borderlands (2024)[18]
- Kraven the Hunter (2024)[34]
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)[33]
Television
Year | Title | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
TBA | Spider-Noir | Various | Filming Also executive producer and showrunner[41] |
References
- ^ "Oren Uziel". Gamefa. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "UPDATE: What is Mortal Kombat: Rebirth?". ComingSoon. June 9, 2011. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Weintraub, Steve (June 9, 2010). "Interview with 'Mortal Kombat: Rebirth' Director Kevin Tancharoen; Talks About What He Wants to do in a Feature Version!". Collider. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Lesnick, Silas (September 29, 2011). "New Line to Reboot Mortal Kombat". ComingSoon. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (September 29, 2011). "New 'Mortal Kombat' movie 'needs to feel brutal,' says director". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Chatterjee, Pramit (April 23, 2021). "'Mortal Kombat' Review: A Visual Effects And Action Heavy Movie That Is Too Fast Paced For Its Own Good". Mashable. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (December 13, 2010). "2010 Black List: 5 Scripts With the Best Chance of Getting Made". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 7, 2012). "Robbie Pickering To Direct 'The Kitchen Sink' At Sony Pics". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Trumbore, Dave (October 16, 2015). "'Freaks of Nature' Red-Band Trailer Is Horrifying in All the Wrong Ways". Collider. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Chitwood, Adam (May 17, 2017). "Exclusive: 'God Particle' Writer Oren Uziel on How the Film Became a Cloverfield Movie". Collider. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (November 30, 2012). "'God Particle' believes in newbie helmer". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Kroll, Justin (September 23, 2016). "Benjamin Walker's 'Shimmer Lake' Nabbed by Netflix". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (May 3, 2013). "Oren Uziel to Write 'Men in Black 4', '21 Jump Street' Sequel for Sony (Exclusive)". TheWrap.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Matt (September 25, 2013). "Sony Pictures Planning 'Jumanji' Reboot; 'Men in Black 4'; Will Shoot '21 Jump Street' Sequel in the Fall". Collider. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 16, 2013). "John Krasinski, Oren Uziel Sell Spec To Warner Bros; Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Chapman, Tom (April 17, 2018). "Borderlands Movie Characters & Director Possibly Revealed". ScreenRant. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Melendez, Marcos (June 12, 2019). "Lionsgate's Borderlands Film Will Feature A Female Protagonist (Exclusive)". Full Circle Cinema. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Borderlands". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 6, 2018). "Supergirl Movie On Drawing Board For Warner Bros/DC; Oren Uziel Scripting". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia; McMillan, Graeme (August 6, 2018). "Supergirl Movie in the Works with 22 Jump Street Writer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 25, 2019). "'Detective Pikachu' Sequel in the Works With '22 Jump Street' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ McNary, Dave (January 25, 2019). "'Detective Pikachu' Sequel in Development With '22 Jump Street' Writer". Variety. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Patches, Matt (February 5, 2023). "Where did Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 2 go?". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (April 30, 2019). "'Sonic The Hedgehog' Trailer: First Look At Jim Carrey As Dr. Robotnik". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Topel, Fred (April 19, 2019). "Escape Room Director Talks Sequel Rooms, Mythology and Returning Stars". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Vito Odo, Marco (September 14, 2021). "'Escape Room 2' Blu-ray Release Will Include Alternate Ending and Extended Cut". Collider. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 9, 2019). "Paramount Putting A New Face On Action Hit 'Face/Off'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 11, 2021). "'Face/Off' Facelift To Be Delivered By 'Godzilla Vs Kong' Director Adam Wingard at Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ Kit, Borys; Galuppo, Mia (October 12, 2020). "Sandra Bullock to Star in, Produce Romantic Adventure 'The Lost City of D'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (October 18, 2021). "'The Lost City': Paramount Pushes Up Release Date For Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "'Strays' (2023) Credits". Metacritic. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Oren Uziel". Metacritic. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Kraven the Hunter – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. August 15, 2023. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 23, 2022). "Oren Uziel Stepping In To Write Ryan Reynolds Clue Movie At 20th Century Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 9, 2023). "Spider-Man Noir Live-Action Series in the Works at Amazon (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (December 4, 2023). "Spider-Man Noir Series at Amazon Enlists 'The Punisher's' Steve Lightfoot as Co-Showrunner (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (April 19, 2023). "Next Fast and Furious Film Taps Louis Leterrier as Director". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (April 24, 2023). "Next 'Fast & Furious' Sequel Taps Christina Hodson And Oren Uziel To Co-Write Script". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Peralta, Diego (June 5, 2024). "Vin Diesel Just Dropped a Huge Update on the 'Fast XI' Script". Collider. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Canfield, David (August 12, 2024). "Lamorne Morris Levels Up: 'I Want to Be Morgan Freeman'". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
External links
- Oren Uziel at IMDb