Jaume Collet-Serra

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Jaume Collet-Serra
Born (1974-03-23) 23 March 1974
Sant Iscle de Vallalta, Spain
Occupation Film director, producer
Years active 2005–present

Jaume Collet-Serra (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈʒawmə kuˈʎɛt ˈsɛrə]) (born 23 March 1974) is a Spanish film director and producer. He is most famous for the 2005 remake House of Wax, and the 2009 film Orphan. In 2011 he directed the drama-thriller Unknown.

Career

Friedrichstraße, Berlin, is the scene of a car chase in Unknown

Soon after graduating, Collet-Serra began his career as an editor before moving on to direct music videos and television commercials for companies such as PlayStation, Budweiser, and Verizon.

In 2005, Collet-Serra was given an opportunity to direct his first feature film by producer Joel Silver (The Matrix). The movie, House of Wax was a remake of the 1953 original of the same name. Despite movie reviewers giving the film a negative critical reception, it was a financial success. The film starred Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray. Two years later, Collet-Serra directed the sequel, Goal II: Living the Dream. The film finds star European soccer player Santiago Muñez (Kuno Becker) bumped by his agent (Stephen Dillane) from England's Newcastle United team to Real Madrid's Galácticos. During his time in Madrid, Santiago also discovers, most unexpectedly and poignantly, what happened to the mother who abandoned him during his early childhood. He reunited with producer Silver for the third film of his career, Orphan, an 2009 American psychological thriller starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman. The film centers on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious nine-year old girl. Orphan was produced by Joel Silver and Susan Downey of Dark Castle Entertainment and Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran of Appian Way Productions.[1] The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2009.[2] The film received mixed critical reviews although Fuhrman's performance as Esther was acclaimed. He directed Unknown, a 2011 British psychological 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 TV directing debut with the ABC pilot The River, a horror drama from Paranormal Activity writer-director Oren Peli. The episode was filmed in Puerto Rico and the next seven episodes were produced in Hawaii.[5] The show has been met with generally favorable reviews, with a collective score of 64/100 from Metacritic from 27 critics.[6] Matt Roush of TV Guide called the show "a terrifying heart-stopper, a cleverly cinematic supernatural adventure that takes us on a wild ride into an exotic heart of darkness."[7] USA Today's Robert Bianco stated, "There are moments when The River, with its curse-around-every-corner setup, threatens to topple over into farce. But a strong cast and that things-that-go-bump-in-the-night shooting style so far keep the show on course".[8] However, Mike Hale of The New York Times rated the show poorly, saying "The mixture of Lost storytelling and Paranormal Activity style is neither intriguing nor particularly scary, and it doesn't help that there's hardly a glimmer of humor".[9]

He began filming in December 2012 in New York City at JFK Airport[10][11] his next film, Non-Stop, starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.

Collet-Serra formed his own production house, Ombra Films. With money from StudioCanal, the small shingle will make low-budget English-language horror flicks, with an eye toward launching the careers of up-and-coming Spanish filmmakers. "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," Collet-Sera's producing partner Juan Sola told Deadline. "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 is called Mindscape, a psychological thriller about a man with the ability to enter people's memories starring Taissa Farmiga, Brian Cox and Mark Strong.[12]

Filmography

Films

Year Film Functioned as
Director Producer Actor
2005 House of Wax Yes
2007 Goal II: Living the Dream Yes
2009 Orphan Yes
2011 Unknown Yes
2013 Mindscape Yes
2014 Non-Stop Yes
Run All Night Yes

Television

Year Title Credited as
Director Producer Actor
2012 The River Yes Yes

References

  1. Diane Garrett, Tatiana Siegel (2007-11-29). "Sarsgaard, Farmiga join 'Orphan'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-29. 
  2. Orphan (2009) - Release Dates
  3. "Unknown White Male Starts Principal Photography". MovieWeb.com. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
  4. Dargis, Manohla (2011-02-17). "Me, My Doppelgänger and a Dunk in the River". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  5. Mark, Steven (June 3, 2011). "ABC to move 'The River' filming to isles". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2011-08-24. 
  6. The River: Season 1, Metacritic, February 7, 2012.
  7. Roush, Matt (February 7, 2012). "Tuesday TV in Review: A Thrill Ride Down ABC's River, Justified, Southland". TV Guide. Retrieved February 22, 2012. 
  8. Bianco, Robert (February 6, 2012). "Ride 'The River' if fright floats your boat". USA Today. Retrieved February 22, 2012. 
  9. Hale, Mike (February 6, 2012). "Rescuers, Cameras and Guide Are Jittery". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2012. 
  10. "‘Non-Stop’, starring Liam Neeson, filming in NYC". onlocationvacations.com. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. 
  11. "Silver Pictures Picks Up Remake Rights to French Heist Film 'Le Convoyeur' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. December 4, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012. 
  12. "Horror movie". Joblo. Retrieved January 20, 2013. 

External links

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