Todd Strauss-Schulson | |
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![]() Strauss-Schulson in September 2015 | |
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | June 24, 1980
Occupations |
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Years active | 1997–present |
Todd Strauss-Schulson (born June 24, 1980) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and cinematographer, best known for directing the comedy film A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011), the horror comedy film The Final Girls (2015), and the romantic comedy film Isn't It Romantic (2019). He has also directed episodes of the television series The Inbetweeners (2012) and Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous (2013).
Strauss-Schulson was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City on June 24, 1980. [1] He has one younger sister named Caren. [2] Strauss-Schulson is Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. [3] [4]
He attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in 2003. [5] Following his graduation, he moved to Los Angeles. [5]
Strauss-Schulson started his career directing short films such as Larceny (1997) and Backlash (1998). He then worked on music videos, which led to 6 months spent in China and Thailand, where he directed the third season of MTV Whatever Things (2005). The series became the most popular show on MTV Asia, with an international audience of over 250 million people. [2] He has directed commercials and videos for the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards, and clients including Pepsi, Lipton, Mountain Dew, Twix, The Early November, Nestlé, Microsoft, Old Spice, and Sierra Mist, among others. [6]
In 2008, Strauss-Schulson's short film Mano-a-Mano was selected to screen at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The following year, he went back to South by Southwest to premiere his short film Big Pussy, which was subsequently screened at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [6] Strauss-Schulson's first feature film, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas for New Line Cinema and Mandate Pictures, was released by Warner Bros. on November 4, 2011. The film starred Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, and Patton Oswalt, and was met with a positive reaction from film critics. [7]
His sophomore film, the horror comedy The Final Girls for Sony Pictures Entertainment and Groundswell Productions, premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival on March 13, 2015, to positive reviews. [8] The film stars Taissa Farmiga, Malin Åkerman, Nina Dobrev, Adam DeVine, Thomas Middleditch, Alia Shawkat, and Alexander Ludwig. It was released on October 9, 2015 in a limited release and through video on demand by Stage 6 Films. [9]
In October 2015, it was reported that TBS had given a pilot order to a comedy series co-created by Strauss-Schulson and Matt Fogel. [10] The pilot was not ordered to series. [11]
Strauss-Schulson's third feature film as director is the comedy Isn't It Romantic for New Line Cinema, starring Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, DeVine, and Priyanka Chopra. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 14, 2019. [12]
Films
Television
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2007 | Ace of Cakes | Episode "Great Scot" |
2010 | Naked But Funny | TV movie |
2011 | CollegeHumor Originals | Episode "Sorority Pillow Fight" |
2012 | Stevie TV | Episode "#1.1" |
2012 | The Inbetweeners | 3 episodes |
2013 | Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous | 3 episodes |
2013 | Betas | Episode "One on One" |
2022 | Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin | 2 episodes |
2023 | Glamorous | 2 episodes |
Short films
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | DoP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Larceny | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
2005 | Snap*Pop | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
2008 | Mano-a-Mano | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2011 | The Master Cleanse | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
2013 | Valibation | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
2014 | All's Fair | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is a 2004 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and starring John Cho, Kal Penn, and Neil Patrick Harris. The first installment in the Harold & Kumar franchise, the film follows Harold Lee (Cho) and Kumar Patel (Penn) on their adventure to a White Castle restaurant after smoking marijuana.
John Cho is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar films, and Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek rebooted film series.
Joshua Granville Leonard is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his role in The Blair Witch Project (1999). He has since starred in films such as Madhouse (2004), The Shaggy Dog (2006), Higher Ground (2011), The Motel Life (2012), Snake and Mongoose (2013), If I Stay (2014), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), 6 Years (2015), and Unsane (2018).
Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress.
Joshua John Miller is an American actor, screenwriter, author, and director. Miller co-writes with his life partner M. A. Fortin; the two wrote the screenplay for the 2015 horror comedy The Final Girls, and the USA Network drama series Queen of the South.
Nina Kamenova Dobreva, credited professionally as Nina Dobrev, is a Canadian actress. She is best known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on The CW's supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries (2009–2015).
Harold & Kumar is the name of a series of American films created by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Beginning with Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), and followed by Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011), the films star John Cho, Kal Penn, and Neil Patrick Harris.
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.
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is a 2011 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. The sequel to Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), it is the third installment in the Harold & Kumar franchise, and stars John Cho, Kal Penn, and Neil Patrick Harris. The film follows estranged friends Harold Lee (Cho) and Kumar Patel (Penn) as they reunite to hunt for a Christmas tree.
Higher Ground is a 2011 American drama film directed by Vera Farmiga in her directorial debut. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 memoir This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost by Carolyn S. Briggs, who co-wrote the screenplay. The film follows Corinne Walker (Farmiga) and her vacillating relationship with Christianity. The cast also includes Joshua Leonard, John Hawkes, Donna Murphy, Norbert Leo Butz, and Bill Irwin.
Taissa Farmiga is an American actress. Born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, she is the younger sister of actress Vera Farmiga. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen.
Rules Don't Apply is a 2016 American romantic comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Warren Beatty. It is loosely based on the life of businessman and film producer Howard Hughes. The ensemble cast features Beatty, in his first screen acting role in 15 years, Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Lily Collins and Alden Ehrenreich. Set in 1958 Hollywood, the film follows the romantic relationship between a young actress and her driver, which is forbidden by their employer, Howard Hughes.
The Final Girls is a 2015 American comedy horror film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller. The film stars Taissa Farmiga and Malin Åkerman, with supporting performances from Adam DeVine, Thomas Middleditch, Alia Shawkat, Alexander Ludwig, and Nina Dobrev. The plot follows a group of high school students who are transported into a 1986 slasher film called Camp Bloodbath.
Wicked City is an American procedural drama television series created by Steven Baigelman for the broadcast network ABC. The series aired from October 27, 2015, to December 15, 2015. and focused on two LAPD detectives as they search for a pair of romantically linked serial killers terrorizing the Sunset Strip. The main cast also includes Taissa Farmiga, Karolina Wydra, Evan Ross, Anne Winters, and Jaime Ray Newman.
Mark Alexandre Fortin is a Canadian screenwriter and producer. He co-writes with his life partner Joshua John Miller; together they wrote the screenplay for the 2015 horror comedy The Final Girls, and the pilot of the USA Network drama series Queen of the South.
Isn't It Romantic is a 2019 American meta romantic comedy film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, and Katie Silberman. The film stars Rebel Wilson as a woman who finds herself in a world where everything around her plays out like a clichéd PG-13 romantic comedy. Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine, and Priyanka Chopra appear in supporting roles.
Gina Matthews is an American film and television producer and writer, whose credits include the horror film Urban Legend, "What Women Want," "13 Going on 30" and "Isn't It Romantic."
The Nun 2 is an upcoming American gothic supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves and written by Akela Cooper, Ian Goldberg, and Richard Naing from a story by Cooper. It serves as a sequel to The Nun (2018) and the ninth installment in The Conjuring Universe franchise. The film stars Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell, with Bonnie Aarons, Taissa Farmiga, and Jonas Bloquet reprising their roles. James Wan and Peter Safran return as co-producers, with Judson Scott also serving as a producer.
Katie Silberman is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is most known for writing the screenplays to Set It Up (2018), Booksmart (2019), and Don't Worry Darling (2022).
Silent Retreat is an upcoming American romantic comedy film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. It will star Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Haysbert, and Jack Whitehall.
Ever since his grandfather gave him a video camera for his bar mitzvah (after years of relentless pestering), Todd has been a one-man movie-making machine.