Aaron and Adam Nee

Last updated

Aaron and Adam Nee, sometimes referred to as the Nee brothers, are an American filmmaking duo best known for their feature films The Last Romantic (2006), Band of Robbers (2015), and The Lost City (2022).

Contents

Collaborative history

Although the brothers work separately at times – Adam acts and writes solo or with other writing partners, and Aaron directs documentary projects and commercials – their collaboration on short and feature films, music videos for bands including A Fine Frenzy [1] [2] and Terrene, [3] garnered them recognition as a filmmaking team. Their feature film The Last Romantic made Aaron and Adam Nee the winners of the Emerging Filmmakers Award at the 29th Starz Denver Film Festival. [4] The festival described it as: "Ambitious in its narrative and visual aesthetics, this film is also the rare work by a first-time filmmaker that is both very funny and very smart," and "buoyed by an impressive and charming central performance as well as an eccentric and hilarious supporting cast." [5]

They were also featured in Filmmaker 's "25 New Faces of Independent Film 2006". [6]

An earlier collaborative work of Aaron and Adam Nee was the music of ru(ok). Both brothers still create music separately, and Aaron scores many of the projects he has produced. [7]

In April 2018, it was announced that Aaron and Adam Nee would be directing a reboot of Masters of the Universe. [8] The duo would also be co-writing the screenplay with David Callaham. [9] The film was set to be released on Netflix, with production set to begin in 2023. [10] On July 18, 2023, it was announced that Netflix has canceled the film but Mattel Films was looking for a new studio to buy the project. Aaron and Adam Nee went on to direct a Lego film instead. [11] On May 1, 2024 it was confirmed that the Masters of the Universe film would be released on June 5, 2026 by Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films with Travis Knight directing and Chris Butler would write the screenplay based on initial drafts written by Aaron and Adam Nee and David Callaham. [12]

Aaron Nee

Aaron Nee, the elder Nee brother, attended the University of Central Florida. [13] Aaron's work as a cinematographer in their debut feature has been called some of the most beautiful DV cinematography in independent film to date. [14] His documentary following convicts released from prison and their journey to rehabilitation and transformation was released at the end of 2008.

Aaron also does motion graphics and visual effects through his company G.R.O.W. LLC. [15]

Adam Nee

The younger Nee brother moved to New York City as a young adult to pursue acting, which entailed day work on such television projects as Law & Order and Sex and the City . Adam starred in the 2006 film The Last Romantic, [6] Able Danger, [16] and South of Heaven, in which he acted alongside Aaron, playing brothers Roy and Dale Coop. [17] He currently resides in Los Angeles. He was formerly married to actress Allison Miller.

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorsWritersProducersEditorsNotes
2006The Last RomanticYesYesNoNoAlso cinematographer (Aaron only)
2009Clark Kent Has a DreamYesYesAdam NeeYesTV series
2015 Band of Robbers YesYesNoYes
2016You Can Never Really Know SomeoneYesYesAdam NeeNoShort film
2022 The Lost City YesYesNoNo
2026 Masters of the Universe NoYesNoNoDevelopment, screenplay written by Chris Butler based on the initial drafts written by Aaron and Adam Nee and David Callaham
TBA Untitled Lego Movie film YesNoNoNoDevelopment

Aaron Nee only

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorDoPNotes
2009ReturnYesYesYesYesYesDocumentary film

The Last Romantic

The Last Romantic, starring Adam Nee, James Urbaniak and Shalom Harlow, which was shot on DV for under $20,000, opened at the SXSW film festival. [6] The film was selected to play in The New York Times' and Emerging Pictures' "Undiscovered Gems of 2006", [18] a series of films highlighting some of the best undistributed films of the past year. The film has been labeled as belonging to the Mumblecore movement, although others have argued that its cinematography, story, and use of professional actors excludes it from such a grouping. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel</span> American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company

Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth and Elliot Handler in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries. Mattel consists of three business segments: North America, International and American Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Sandler</span> American actor and comedian (born 1966)

Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He-Man</span> Fictional superhero character

He-Man is a superhero and the protagonist of the sword and planet Masters of the Universe franchise, which includes a toy line, several animated television series, comic books, and a feature film. He-Man is characterized by his superhuman strength and in most variations, is the alter ego of Prince Adam. He-Man and his friends attempt to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull, the planet Eternia, and the rest of the universe from the evil forces of his archenemy Skeletor. He-Man is the twin brother of She-Ra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She-Ra</span> Lead character of a 1985 and 2018 animated series

Adora, known by her alter ego She-Ra, is a fictional superheroine in the Masters of the Universe franchise. She is introduced as the protagonist of the 1985 Filmation series She-Ra: Princess of Power, which reveals her to be the long lost twin sister of He-Man. She-Ra again appears in the 2018 reboot She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. A series of toys under her name was produced by Mattel in 1984. She has also appeared in a number of Masters of the Universe comic books, most notably in DC Comics' 2012-2018 MOTU comic series, a roughly 1,000 page single story arc, collected in the 2019 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Omnibus hardcover release. In these comics and in the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline, she also has an evil persona called Despara. As Despara, she makes an appearance at the end of Rob David and Kevin Smith's 2024 Netflix release Masters of the Universe: Revolution, the third installment of the 2021 Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated series. She also features in multiple story books, mainly Golden Books and Ladybird books, and in some MOTU games.

<i>He-Man and the Masters of the Universe</i> 1980s American animated television series

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line Masters of the Universe. The show was one of the most popular animated shows of the 1980s.

<i>She-Ra: Princess of Power</i> American animated television series from 1985–1987

She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated series produced in 1985 by Filmation. A spin-off of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, She-Ra was aimed primarily at a young female audience to complement He-Man's popularity with young males. Unlike He-Man, which was based on the Masters of the Universe toy line by Mattel, the creation of She-Ra was a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski for Filmation, while the characters introduced later were designed by Mattel. Mattel provided financial backing for the series, as well as an accompanying toy line. The series premiered in 1985 and was ended in 1987, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes.

<i>Masters of the Universe</i> American media franchise

Masters of the Universe is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man and Skeletor on the planet Eternia, with a vast lineup of supporting characters in a hybrid setting of medieval sword and sorcery, and sci-fi technology. A follow-up series, She-Ra: Princess of Power revolves around He-Man's sister She-Ra and her rebellion against The Horde on the planet Etheria. Since its initial launch, the franchise has spawned a variety of products, including multiple lines of action figures, six animated television series, several comic series, video games, books and magazines, a daily newspaper comic strip, and two feature films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Whitaker</span> American actor (born 1961)

Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer and director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared and Jerusha Hess</span> American filmmakers

Jared Lawrence Hess and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess are husband-and-wife American filmmakers best known for their work on Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Nacho Libre (2006) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009), all of which they co-wrote and which were directed by Jared. For their film Ninety-Five Senses, they were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Wright</span> English filmmaker (born 1974)

Edgar Howard Wright is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a signature editing style that includes transitions, whip pans and wipes. He first made independent short films before making his first feature film A Fistful of Fingers in 1995. Wright created and directed the comedy series Asylum in 1996, written with David Walliams. After directing several other television shows, Wright directed the sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), which aired for two series and starred frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Webb</span> American filmmaker

Marc Preston Webb is an American filmmaker and music video director. Webb made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer and went on to direct The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), which were later dubbed the "Webb-Verse" by Marvel Studios in 2021. He also directed the drama films Gifted and The Only Living Boy in New York and the upcoming Disney remake of Snow White (2025).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rian Johnson</span> American filmmaker (born 1973)

Rian Craig Johnson is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film Brick (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transitioning to higher-profile films, Johnson achieved mainstream recognition for writing and directing the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012) to critical and commercial success. Johnson landed his largest project when he wrote and directed the space opera Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which grossed over $1 billion. He returned to the mystery genre with Knives Out (2019) and its sequel Glass Onion (2022), both of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McG</span> American film director and producer (born 1968)

Joseph McGinty Nichol, known professionally as McG, is an American director, producer, and former record producer.

<i>Barbie</i> (media franchise) Multimedia franchise featuring Barbie

Beginning with the release of an eponymous video game in 1984, Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and debuted on March 9, 1959, has been featured in a media franchise predominantly consisting of a film series and media formats across technologies like television and the Internet. Since then, it has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time and has been referred to among fans as the "Barbie Cinematic Universe".

David Elias Callaham is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the screenplays for the films Doom (2005), The Expendables (2010), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Mortal Kombat, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

<i>Masters of the Universe: Revelation</i> American animated superhero television series

Masters of the Universe is an American animated superhero fantasy television series produced by Kevin Smith and Powerhouse Animation Studios. A sequel to the 1983–1985 series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Filmation, while ignoring the events of The New Adventures of He-Man (1990), the plot of Revelation explores unresolved storylines from the original 1980s series. Netflix released the first series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, in two parts, with five episodes debuting July 23, 2021, then five additional episodes on November 23, 2021. In June 2022, Netflix announced a second series, Masters of the Universe: Revolution, which premiered its first part on January 25, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel Television</span> American TV production operation founded 2016

Mattel Television is the television production division of American toy and entertainment company Mattel, originally founded on March 31, 2016 as the successor to Mattel's earlier entertainment division, Mattel Playground Productions, under the name Mattel Creations.

<i>Barbie: Princess Adventure</i> 2020 Animated streaming TV film

Barbie: Princess Adventure is a 2020 animated musical adventure comedy children's streaming television film directed by Conrad Helten and written by Ann Austen, which was first released on Netflix in the United States on September 1, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He-Man as a gay icon</span>

He-Man, a fictional superhero from the sword and sorcery franchise Masters of the Universe created by Mattel, has often attracted queer interpretations and discussions over his status as a gay icon. His first appearance was in the 1982 comics included with his toy figures. The animated television series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which aired from 1983 to 1986, focused on the character and established traits that would remain consistent in future installments of the franchise.

References

  1. ↑ "A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover (brothers NEE version)". YouTube . Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016. This is the new Almost Lover video directed by the brothers Nee.
  2. ↑ "A Fine Frenzy | Almost Lover (Version 2) | Music Video". MTV . May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Director The Brothers Nee
  3. ↑ Mulhausen, John (October 5, 2007). "Terrene - "Unwelcome" (Music Video)". Yahoo! Video . Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Music video for the song "Unwelcome," by Seattle band Terrene. Directed by The Nee Brothers.
  4. ↑ "The Last Romantic | Starz Denver Film Festival 2007 | Aaron Nee | Adam Nee | USA". Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  5. ↑ ""Beauty in Trouble" and "Kurt Cobain: About a Son" Take Top Denver Fest Prizes". Indiewire . November 21, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "25 NEW FACES OF INDEPENDENT FILM 2006 - Filmmaker Magazine - Summer 2006". Filmmakermagazine.com. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  7. ↑ [ dead link ]
  8. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 19, 2018). "'Masters of the Universe': Nee Brothers to Direct He-Man Movie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  9. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (January 28, 2022). "'Masters of the Universe' Movie Finds Its He-Man: 'West Side Story' Star Kyle Allen". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  10. ↑ Massoto, Erick (March 22, 2022). "Exclusive: 'Masters of the Universe' Directors Tease a "Colorful, Fun, and Irreverent" Live-Action Movie". Collider. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  11. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (July 18, 2023). "'Masters of the Universe' Movie Dead at Netflix After at Least $30 Million in Development; Mattel Shopping for New Buyer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Mattel's 'Masters of the Universe' Moves From Netflix to Amazon for Summer 2026 Release, Travis Knight to Direct". Variety . May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ "g.r.o.w. media design production". Growmdp.com. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (September 10, 2008). "A Conspiracy Theorist, Closing in on That Smoking Gun". The New York Times . Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  17. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (May 4, 2005). "Production Report: "American Gothic, "Manhattan, Kansas," "One Last Thing," "South of Heave", "Unknown"". IndieWire . Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  18. ↑ "2006 Gems". Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Anthony Kaufman's blog: The SXSW All-Stars: A New Ultra-Indie Movement". Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.