Juel Taylor (born May 1, 1987) is a director and screenwriter.[1] He wrote Creed II (2018) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) with his writing partner Tony Rettenmaier.[2] Taylor and Rettenmaier wrote the movie They Cloned Tyrone (2023), which is also Taylor's first feature film as a director.[3] He has also directed several TV episodes and a short film.[1]
Early life and education
Taylor was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama.[1] Taylor largely based the fictional neighborhood in They Cloned Tyrone on the area where he grew up.[2][3]
Taylor was initially interested in studying video game design when he attended college at the University of Florida.[2] His first introduction to making movies was a music video he created for his college's digital arts program.[2] Taylor then studied film as a graduate student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, where he met Rettenmaier.[3]
Taylor cites questions around blame and responsibility and experiences with friends in unfortunate circumstances as the inspiration for They Cloned Tyrone.[10] Taylor and Rettenmaier initially pitched They Cloned Tyrone in 2018, not yet having written the script and while working on other films.[3] The draft changed through the pitching process, eventually leading to They Cloned Tyrone being produced as a Netflix feature film.[11] In the editing process, Taylor cited Guillermo del Toro for his help on several scenes.[11]
^Taylor, Juel (2023-07-21), They Cloned Tyrone (Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi), John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Federal Films, MACRO, Made With Love Media, retrieved 2024-03-05