Rupert Wyatt

Rupert Wyatt
Born (1972-10-26) 26 October 1972 (age 52)
Guildford, Surrey, England
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • cinematographer
  • producer
Years active1999–present
Children3
Website[https://studiomechanical.com

Rupert Wyatt (born 26 October 1972) is an English filmmaker.[1] He made his directorial debut with the 2008 film The Escapist, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His second film was the 2011 blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes. His third film was the 2019 sci-fi film Captive State. He also directed the first two episodes of the television adaptation of The Mosquito Coast in 2021, as well as serving as an executive producer on the series.

Early life

Wyatt was born and raised near Winchester in Hampshire.[citation needed] He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford and Winchester College, Winchester.[1]

Career

Producing

Wyatt is the founder of the film collective Picture Farm, which has produced numerous shorts, documentaries and features, including the Sundance Award-winning documentary Dark Days.[1]

Directing

He also co-wrote and directed the British prison escape thriller The Escapist (2008), starring Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, Dominic Cooper, Joseph Fiennes, Seu Jorge, Steven Mackintosh and Liam Cunningham.[2] The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, was nominated for eight international film awards, and was the winner of two.[3] In March 2010, he was selected to direct Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise, which was based on a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.[4] The film was released on 5 August 2011 to mostly positive reviews [5] and grossed more than $481 million worldwide.

Wyatt was to be the director of 20th Century Fox's X-Men spin-off film Gambit, to be released on 7 October 2016,[6] but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[7]

He directed the 2019 sci-fi film Captive State.[8]

In 2023 he started production on his first animated Feature Film - The Sunrise File - A French / American co production starring Brian Cox, Yvan Attal, and Diane Kruger.

2025 will see the release of his upcoming feature film as writer and director - Desert Warrior - A 7th Century historical epic filmed over 4 years in the deserts of Arabia

His next film announced as director is the thriller - Boxman - After a failed bank heist, nineteen people are trapped in a high-tech vault. The FBI enlists an expert safe-cracker to rescue them before they run out of air.

Personal life

Wyatt currently lives between New York City and Hudson, New York.

Filmography

Short film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1999 Ticks Yes Yes Yes
2004 Get the Picture Yes Yes No

Feature film

Year Title Director Writer Notes
2003 Subterrain Yes Yes
2008 The Escapist Yes Yes
2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes Yes No
2014 The Gambler Yes No Also music supervisor
2019 Captive State Yes Yes Also producer
TBA Desert Warrior Yes Yes Post-production

Other credits

Television

Year Title Director Executive
Producer 		Notes
2014 Turn: Washington's Spies Yes No Episode "Pilot"
2016 The Exorcist Yes Yes Episode "Pilot"
2021 The Mosquito Coast Yes Yes 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Title Award/Nomination
2008 The Escapist Nominated – British Independent Film – Douglas Hickox Award
Nominated – Evening Standard British Award for Most Promising Newcomer
Nominated – London Critics Film Award for Breakthrough British Filmmaker
2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes Nominated – Empire Award for Best Director
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director

References

  1. ^ a b c Rees, Jasper (13 June 2008). "British film: why breaking out gave me an opportunity to break in". Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  2. ^ Roark, David (30 January 2010). "Movie on DVD review: The Escapist". Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  3. ^ Billington, Alex (16 March 2009). "Exclusive: Poster Premiere for Rupert Wyatt's The Escapist". FirstShowing.
  4. ^ "Rupert Wyatt Named as Planet of the Apes Prequel Director". DreadCentral. 13 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Channing Tatum's 'Gambit' film now has a director". MARVELHYPE. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  7. ^ Hayes, Britt (16 September 2015). "'Gambit' Solo Movie Loses Director Rupert Wyatt". Screen Crush. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Rupert Wyatt to Direct, Write Sci-Fi Film 'Captive State' (EXCLUSIVE)".