| Max Landis | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 3, 1985 Beverly Hills, California |
| Occupation | screenwriter |
| Years active | 2005-Present |
Max Landis (born August 3, 1985) is an American screenwriter.
Contents |
The son of director John Landis and costume designer and historian Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Max Landis was born in Beverly Hills, California. He attended a stringent boarding school after being "kicked out" of Beverly Hills High. Since he started writing screenplays at 16, Landis has written more than 50.[1]
Landis sold his first script at the age of 18, a collaboration with his father, director John Landis, on the Masters of Horror episode "Deer Woman."[2] He would later be asked to return to the series in its second incarnation, Fear Itself, independently penning the episode "Something with Bite."[3] He also wrote for Bluewater Productions' Return To Mysterious Island, a 2008 comic series.
While attending the University of Miami[4], Landis wrote three shorts which were produced by students in the school's film program. Upon leaving the university, Landis went on a "spec-selling streak," having three of his pitches optioned within six months.[5] First, Landis sold Chronicle to producer John Davis and 20th Century Fox's Davis Entertainment. The Chronicle script was previously included on the Black List, an annual compendium of the year's best unproduced screenplays.[6] Said to be a documentary-style movie about three Portland teenagers that develop superpowers after encountering a strange substance in the woods, Chronicle will be directed by Josh Trank.[7] Landis has said, however, that the film is not typical of other movies with superpowered characters.[8]
Landis' script for Good Time Gang was then optioned by RCR Pictures, a production company helmed by Robin Schorr and professional poker player Chris Ferguson. The film will star Jonah Hill and Mark Wahlberg as a "bumbling pair of antiheroes."[9]
In April 2011, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased Landis' pitch for Amnesty. Brian Grazer will produce the film and Ron Howard is attached to direct.[10]
20th Century Fox's Davis Entertainment hired Landis in May 2011 to script a reimagining of the German fairy tale of the Pied Piper. The project has been characterized as a "fantasy thriller" and is being overseen by Steve Asbell.[11] Davis and Fox again opted to team with Landis for a film based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.[12] The adaptation is rumored to be a retelling of the story from Igor's point of view.[13] The character breakdowns from Landis' script also suggest that the tale has been transported to a circus setting.[14] In September, it was announced that Night at the Museum and Date Night director Shawn Levy will be the movie's director.[15]
Landis has made cameo appearances in a number of John Landis' films, including The Stupids, Blues Brothers 2000 and Burke and Hare.[16] In December 2011, Landis was listed among Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30" young people to watch in the entertainment industry.[17]
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tumbler (short) | writer, executive producer |
| Dupe (short) | writer | |
| 2009 | Ghost Closet '07 (short) | writer, actor |
| 2012 | Chronicle | writer |
| Good Time Gang | writer | |
| 2012+ | Amnesty | writer |
| The Pied Piper | writer | |
| Frankenstein | writer |