Jaume Collet-Serra (Catalan:[ˈʒawməkuˈʎɛtˈsɛrə]; born 23 March 1974) is a Spanish-American film director and producer. He has directed the horror films House of Wax (2005), Orphan (2009), and The Shallows (2016).
Collet-Serra was born in Sant Iscle de Vallalta, Catalonia, Spain. At the age of 18, he moved to Los Angeles, California and attended Columbia College Hollywood, working as an editor on the side. After graduating in 1996, he began directing music videos and television commercials for brands such as PlayStation, Budweiser, and Verizon.[1]
Career
2005–2010
In 2005, Collet-Serra was given an opportunity to direct his first feature film by producer Joel Silver. The film, House of Wax, was a remake of the 1953 film of the same name, and starred Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray and featured Paris Hilton. Despite a negative critical reception, it was a financial success. Two years later, Collet-Serra directed Goal II: Living the Dream, the second film in the Goal! film trilogy, in which the main character, star Mexican footballer Santiago Muñez (Kuno Becker), goes to play for Real Madrid. Collet-Serra reunited with producer Silver for his third film, Orphan, a 2009 American psychological horror film starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman, about on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious nine-year-old girl.[2] The film received mixed critical reviews but was a box office success, earning around $80 million on a $20 million budget.
Collet-Serra formed his own production house Ombra Films. With money from StudioCanal, the small company set out to make low-budget English-language horror films, with an eye toward launching the careers of up-and-coming Spanish filmmakers. Juan Sola, Collet-Serra's producing partner, told Deadline Hollywood, "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. 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 was Mindscape, a psychological thriller about a man with the ability to enter people's memories, starring Taissa Farmiga, Mark Strong, and Brian Cox.[9] Collet-Serra executive produced the found footage comedy-horror film Hooked Up,[10] which was directed by Pablo Larcuen and was shot on an iPhone.[11]
In 2021, Collet-Serra began directing Netflix thriller, titled Carry-On. It follows a TSA agent blackmailed into allowing a dangerous package on board a flight, starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman.[18] It released December 13, 2024.
Upcoming projects
In March 2019, TheWrap reported that Collet-Serra was to direct Victory, a remake of the 1981 film Escape to Victory.[19]
In August 2021, Collet-Serra signed on to direct a sequel to Jungle Cruise.[20]
In February 2024, it was announced that Collet-Serra would direct The Woman in the Yard, produced by Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions and starring Danielle Deadwyler.[21] The film is scheduled for release on March 28, 2025;[22] it was originally scheduled to be released on January 10,[21] but was removed from the release schedule in March 2024[23] before being rescheduled in May.[22]
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