Bill Block | |
---|---|
Born | William Hunt Block April 2, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
Education | Columbia University |
Occupation | Film producer |
Spouse | Eugenia Kuzmina |
William Hunt Block (born April 2, 1954) is an American film producer who was CEO of Miramax from April 2017 to October 2023. His producing credits include W. (2008), District 9 (2009), Fury (2014), Bad Moms (2016), Dirty Grandpa (2016), Halloween (2018), and Halloween Kills (2021).
Block was born in New York City, where he attended Columbia University and later became a supporter of the school's film program. [1]
Block began his career as a literary agent before founding the Intertalent Agency in 1988, where he represented artists such as Kim Basinger, Samuel L. Jackson, Steven Seagal, Charlie Sheen, John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Sam Raimi, Roland Emmerich and William Friedkin. In 1992, he joined International Creative Management as head of West Coast Operations. [2]
Block founded Artisan Entertainment, an independent film studio that produced films including The Blair Witch Project ; The Buena Vista Social Club ; Darren Aronofsky's Pi and Requiem for a Dream ; The Limey directed by Steven Soderbergh; The Ninth Gate starring Johnny Depp and directed by Roman Polanski; and David Koepp's Stir of Echoes and Made starring Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn. [3] [4]
In 2002, Block founded film finance, production and sales company QED International. He was CEO of QED for 12 years, producing films including Neill Blomkamp's District 9 and Elysium , Oliver Stone's W. and David Ayer's WWII thriller Fury starring Brad Pitt. [5] In 2014, after Media Content Capital took a controlling interest in QED, Block left the company to launch Merced Media with producer Kevin Frakes. [6]
From 2015–17, he was managing director of Bill Block Media, producing the commercially successful Bad Moms starring Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell, and Dirty Grandpa starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron. In November 2015, he settled a legal dispute with QED, after his former company filed a federal lawsuit alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition concerning the rights to Dirty Grandpa. [7]
He was named CEO of Miramax in April 2017. [5] He left the studio in October 2023 following the lapse of his contract with them, forming another production company, BlockFilm, later that month. [8] [9] Producer Jonathan Glickman subsequently replaced Block as Miramax's CEO on April 2, 2024. [10]
Block lives in the Hollywood Hills with his wife, Eugenia Kuzmina, a model, actress and comedian, his two sons and a daughter. [11]
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Year | Film | Credit | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Vanilla Sky | Executive producer | ||
2003 | Devil's Pond | Executive producer | Direct-to-video | |
2007 | First Born | Executive producer | ||
The Lucky Ones | Executive producer | |||
The Hunting Party | ||||
2008 | Smart People | Executive producer | ||
W. | ||||
2009 | Powder Blue | Executive producer | ||
District 9 | Executive producer | |||
2011 | Texas Killing Fields | Executive producer | ||
2012 | Alex Cross | |||
2013 | Elysium | |||
Fading Gigolo | ||||
Haunt | ||||
2014 | Sabotage | |||
Fury | ||||
2015 | The Family Fang | Executive producer | ||
Rock the Kasbah | ||||
2016 | Dirty Grandpa | |||
Bad Moms | ||||
2017 | A Bad Moms Christmas | Executive producer | ||
2018 | Halloween | |||
The Perfection | ||||
2019 | Jay and Silent Bob Reboot | Executive producer | ||
The Gentlemen | ||||
2020 | Uncle Frank | |||
2021 | Wrath of Man | |||
He's All That | ||||
Halloween Kills | ||||
Mother/Android | ||||
2022 | Sick | |||
Confess, Fletch | ||||
Halloween Ends | ||||
2023 | Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre | |||
Gray Matter | Executive producer | |||
The Holdovers | ||||
Strange Darling | ||||
Old Dads | ||||
2024 | The Beekeeper | |||
Here | ||||
The Exorcism | ||||
2025 | Levon's Trade | |||
TBA | Harvest Moon | |||
The Home | ||||
World War 3 |
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Belly | Executive in charge of production | |
1999 | Stir of Echoes | ||
2000 | The Way of the Gun | ||
2001 | The Center of the World | ||
Made | Uncredited |
Year | Film | Role |
---|---|---|
1997 | Spawn | Thanks |
Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Good at Life | Executive producer | Television film |
2020 | Spy City | Executive producer | |
2023 | Project Greenlight: A New Generation | Executive producer | Documentary |
TBA | Serendipity | Executive producer | |
The Gentlemen | Executive producer |
Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. Today, it is owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global.
Lawrence Bender is an American film producer. Throughout his career, Bender-produced films have received 36 Academy Award nominations, resulting in eight wins.
Spyglass Media Group, LLC is an independent film and television production and finance company founded by Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum in 1998.
David Ayer is an American filmmaker known for making crime films that are set in Los Angeles and deal with gangs and police corruption. His screenplays include Training Day (2001), The Fast and the Furious (2001), and S.W.A.T. (2003). He has also directed Harsh Times (2005), Street Kings (2008), End of Watch (2012), Sabotage (2014), and The Beekeeper (2024). In 2016, he directed the superhero movie Suicide Squad from the DC Extended Universe, and then the urban fantasy film Bright (2017) for Netflix. He has twice collaborated with actor Shia LaBeouf: first with the World War II drama Fury (2014), then the crime thriller The Tax Collector (2020). He has also collaborated with his friend Cle Shaheed Sloan who has appeared in four of his films.
Lionsgate Films is a Canadian-American film production and film distribution studio founded in Canada in 1962. It is now a division of Lionsgate Studios and headquartered in Santa Monica.
Matt Reeves is an American filmmaker who first gained recognition for the WB drama series Felicity (1998–2002), which he co-created with J. J. Abrams. Reeves came to widespread attention for directing the hit monster film Cloverfield (2008). He also directed the vampire drama Let Me In (2010), and the critically acclaimed science fiction sequels Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He directed the superhero film The Batman (2022), which stars Robert Pattinson as the title character.
Roger Birnbaum is an American film, television, and executive producer.
Jonathan Glickman is an American film producer who served as the President of the MGM Motion Picture Group from 2011 to 2020 and has been the CEO of Miramax since April 2, 2024.
Eugenia Kuzmina is a Russian-American actress, comedian and model. Her modeling career took off when she appeared on the cover of Glamour, and walked the runway for multiple designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler. She appeared in advertisements for Hermes, Armani jeans, Dior sunglasses, GAP, and L'Oreal. Her first video appearance outside of Russia was in a music video "Ange étrange" by David Hallyday. In 2011, Kuzmina transitioned into acting.
Eli Holzman is an American creator–developer, writer, producer and television executive. He is known for creating or serving as executive producer on a number of reality-based television series and documentaries, such as Project Runway, Project Greenlight, The Seven Five, Undercover Boss, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, Free Meek, Living Undocumented, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.
Open Road Films, LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Tom Ortenberg on March 26, 2011, as a joint venture between the two largest American theatrical exhibitors, AMC Theatres and Regal Entertainment Group, which both owned the company until it was bought out by Tang Media Partners, a media company owned by Donald Tang, in August 2017.
Rock the Kasbah is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Mitch Glazer. The film stars Bill Murray as a talent manager sent to Afghanistan for a USO tour, Kate Hudson as his partner in country, Bruce Willis as his armed protection and book client, and Leem Lubany as his musical discovery. Open Road Films released the film on October 23, 2015.
QED International is a Los Angeles-based independent film production studio, financier and international distributor. It is best known for financing and producing District 9, Fury, and Dirty Grandpa.
Dirty Grandpa is a 2016 American buddy sports romantic sex comedy film about a lawyer who drives his grandfather to Florida during spring break. The film was directed by Dan Mazer and written by John Phillips. It stars Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in the leading roles, with Aubrey Plaza, Zoey Deutch, Julianne Hough and Dermot Mulroney in supporting roles. It was filmed on location in Atlanta from January 19 to May 9, 2015.
Bad Moms is a 2016 American comedy film directed and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Christina Applegate.
PalmStar Media Capital is a film financing company based in Philadelphia. It was founded by its CEO, Kevin Frakes in 2010.
Johnny Lin is an American film producer. He is the principal of Filmula Entertainment and president of licensor Filmula International.
The Gentlemen is a 2019 action comedy film written, directed and produced by Guy Ritchie, who developed the story along with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant. It follows an American cannabis wholesaler in England who is looking to sell his business, setting off a chain of blackmail and schemes to undermine him.