Will Gluck

Last updated
Will Gluck
WGpix.jpg
Gluck at the premiere of Annie in December 2014
Born (1978-11-07) November 7, 1978 (age 45)
Education United Nations International School
Cornell University
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • songwriter
  • composer
Notable work Anyone But You , Easy A , Friends with Benefits , The Michael J. Fox Show , Peter Rabbit
SpouseTrista Gladden
Children2

Will Gluck (born November 7, 1978) is an American filmmaker, songwriter, and composer. He is known for writing and directing the Peter Rabbit films and Anyone but You (2023).

Contents

Life and career

Gluck is the son of American academic and Japanologist Carol Gluck and architect Peter L. Gluck. [1] He began his career as a television writer, working on such shows as Grosse Pointe , Luis and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. [2] He co-created and produced the Fox series The Loop with Pam Brady. He then became a feature director and his first effort was the film Fired Up which was released on February 20, 2009. His next film was 2010's Easy A , starring Emma Stone, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow, and Penn Badgley among others, which he also rewrote and produced. It grossed $75 million worldwide and was nominated for a People's Choice Award, Golden Globe Award (for Stone), Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy (which it won), GLAAD award, A.C.E. award, among others.

His project Friends with Benefits was released on July 22, 2011 and stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The ensemble cast includes Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Patricia Clarkson, and Emma Stone. [3] The film went on to gross over $150 million worldwide [4] and was nominated for a People's Choice Award (for Mila Kunis) as well as a nomination for Best Comedy Film.

He directed the remake of Annie (2014), filmed in New York City. It starred Quvenzhané Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, and Bobby Cannavale. It was produced by Gluck, Will Smith, James Lassiter, and Jay-Z. It grossed over $139 million worldwide. [5]

He co-created, directed, and produced Michael J. Fox's 2013-2014 return to TV. The Michael J. Fox Show launched to critical acclaim and a first week audience of 16 million people. [6] NBC officially canceled the show on May 10, 2014 after one season.

Gluck and his Olive Bridge Entertainment production company are based at Sony Pictures Entertainment encompassing Columbia Pictures and at wiip for television. Their past productions include Woke for Hulu, Encore! for Disney+, Chicago Party Aunt and Sneakerheads for Netflix, along with a slate of other development.

Gluck's following film, Peter Rabbit , was released on February 9, 2018. [7] It stars Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, and the voices of James Corden, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki, and Sia. It became his most successful film financially to date grossing over $351 million worldwide. [8]

After the success of Peter Rabbit, he co-wrote, directed, and produced its sequel Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway . It was scheduled to be released around the world in February 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was subsequently released around the world on June 11, 2021 and earned over $150 million at the box office. [9]

His latest film, Anyone but You , which he co-wrote, directed, and produced, was released on December 22, 2023. It stars Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Dermot Mulroney, Hadley Robinson, Rachel Griffiths, Darren Barnet, Michelle Hurd, Bryan Brown, Charlee Fraser, and Joe Davidson. [10] It grossed over $240 million worldwide. [11]

Filmography

Feature films

YearFilm
Director Writer Producer Notes
2009 Fired Up! YesYes [lower-alpha 1] No
2010 Easy A YesNoYes
2011 Friends with Benefits YesYesYes
2014 About Last Night NoNoYes
Annie YesYesYesAlso lyricist and composer
2018 Peter Rabbit YesYesYes
2021 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway YesYesYes
2023 Anyone but You YesYesYes

Television

Awards

WorkAwardCategoryResult
Easy A 16th Critics' Choice Awards Best Comedy Won
37th People's Choice Awards Favorite ComedyNominated
2011 Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Romantic Comedy Won
2011 The Comedy AwardsBest Comedy DirectorNominated
Best Comedy FilmNominated
Friends with Benefits 38th People's Choice Awards Favorite ComedyNominated
The Michael J. Fox Show 2013 Critics' Choice Television AwardMost Exciting New SeriesWon
Annie 72nd Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song - "Opportunity"Nominated (With Sia and Greg Kurstin),
Peter Rabbit 2018 Teen Choice Awards Choice Fantasy MovieNominated
Anyone but You 49th People's Choice Awards Best ComedyNominated
35th GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Film - Wide Theatrical ReleaseNominated

Notes

  1. Credited as "Freedom Jones"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Columbus (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker (born 1958)

Chris Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mila Kunis</span> American actress (born 1983)

Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series That '70s Show (1998–2006) at age 15. She has voiced Meg Griffin on the Fox animated series Family Guy since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bay</span> American filmmaker (born 1965)

Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special effects, including frequent depictions of explosions. The films he has directed include Bad Boys (1995) and its sequel Bad Boys II (2003), The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), the first five films in the Transformers film series, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016), 6 Underground (2019), and Ambulance (2022). His films have grossed over US$7.8 billion worldwide, making him one of the most commercially successful directors in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Adamson</span> New Zealand filmmaker (born 1966)

Andrew Ralph Adamson is a New Zealand film director, producer, screenwriter and animator. He is best known for directing the DreamWorks animated films Shrek (2001) and its sequel Shrek 2 (2004), both based on the book of the same name by William Steig. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Shrek 2. He also directed and co-wrote the live-action film adaptations of C. S. Lewis's novels, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and its sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Animation Studios</span> American animation studio

Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene from its first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928). Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney, it is the oldest-running animation studio in the world. It is currently organized as a division of Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. Since its foundation, the studio has produced 62 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Wish (2023), and hundreds of short films.

Nickelodeon Movies Inc. is an American film production company based in Los Angeles, California and owned by Paramount Global. Originally founded in 1995, it serves as both the film production arm of the American children's network Nickelodeon and the family film distribution label of Paramount Pictures, operating under its Paramount Players division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Forster</span> German-Swiss film director

Marc Forster is a German-Swiss film director, producer and writer. He is best known for directing the feature films Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, Quantum of Solace, World War Z, and Christopher Robin, and has directed numerous television commercials as well. He is a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award nominee.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> 2005 film by Andrew Adamson

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 high fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ann Peacock and the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The film is the first installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Phillips</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Todd Phillips is an American filmmaker. Phillips began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as Road Trip, Old School, Starsky & Hutch, and School for Scoundrels. He came to wider prominence in the early 2010s for directing The Hangover film series. In 2019, he co-wrote and directed the psychological thriller film Joker, based on the DC Comics character of the same name, which premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival where it received the top prize, the Golden Lion. Joker went on to earn Phillips three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, with his co-writer Scott Silver, his second, third, and fourth Academy Award nominations after also being nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat at the 79th Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Derrickson</span> American filmmaker (born 1966)

Scott Derrickson is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Sinister (2012) and The Black Phone (2021). He is also known for the superhero film Doctor Strange (2016), based on the Marvel Comics character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Feig</span> American filmmaker

Paul Feig is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing films such as Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), A Simple Favor (2018), and Last Christmas (2019). He often collaborates with actress Melissa McCarthy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Renaissance</span> Period of Disney animated films, 1989–1999

The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films. These were mostly musical adaptations of well-known stories, similar to the films produced during the era of Walt Disney from the 1930s to 1960s. The resurgence allowed Disney's animated films to become a powerhouse of successes at the domestic and foreign box office, earning much greater profits than most of the Disney films of previous eras.

<i>Friends with Benefits</i> (film) 2011 film by Will Gluck

Friends with Benefits is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck and starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The film features Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Richard Jenkins, and Woody Harrelson in supporting roles. The plot revolves around Dylan Harper (Timberlake) and Jamie Rellis (Kunis), who meet in New York City, and naively believe adding sex to their friendship will not lead to complications. Over time, they begin to develop deep feelings for each other, only to deny it each time they are together.

<i>Ted</i> (film) 2012 comedy film by Seth MacFarlane

Ted is a 2012 American fantasy comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, and MacFarlane providing the voice and motion capture of the title character. The film tells the story of John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted and John's friendship begins to interfere with the progression of John's relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins.

The Maze Runner film series consists of North American science-fiction dystopian action adventure films based on The Maze Runner novels by the American author James Dashner. Produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the films star Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Dexter Darden, and Patricia Clarkson. Wes Ball directed all three installments.

<i>Bad Moms</i> 2016 film by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

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.

<i>Peter Rabbit</i> (film) 2018 film by Will Gluck

Peter Rabbit is a 2018 comedy film based upon the character of the same name created by Beatrix Potter, co-produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Olive Bridge Entertainment, Animal Logic, 2.0 Entertainment, and Screen Australia, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It was directed by Will Gluck, who also produced the film with Zareh Nalbandian, from a screenplay and story written by Gluck and Rob Lieber. James Corden stars as the voice of the title character, with Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in live-action roles, as well as the voices of Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki, and Margot Robbie. The film's story focuses on Peter Rabbit as he deals with new problems when the late Mr. McGregor's great nephew arrives and discovers the trouble Peter's family can get into.

<i>Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway</i> 2021 film by Will Gluck

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway is a 2021 adventure comedy film directed and produced by Will Gluck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh. The film is a sequel to Peter Rabbit (2018). Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, and is based on the stories of Peter Rabbit created by Beatrix Potter. James Corden reprises his role as the title character, alongside Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, and David Oyelowo in live-action roles, and the voices of Elizabeth Debicki, Lennie James, and Margot Robbie.

References

  1. "Gluck+". Pentagram. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  2. Michael Fleming (June 3, 2009). "Cast penciled in for 'Easy A'". Variety . Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  3. "Friends with Benefits". comingsoon.net. CraveOnline. August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  4. "Friends with Benefits". Box Office Pro. July 22, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  5. "Annie". Box Office Pro. December 19, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  6. Alan Sepinwall (September 25, 2013). "Review: Stars return for 'The Michael J. Fox Show' & Robin Williams in 'The Crazy Ones'". Uproxx. Uproxx Media Group . Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  7. Spencer Perry (December 22, 2015). "Sony Animation Dates The Emoji Movie, Delays Animated Spider-Man". comingsoon.net. CraveOnline. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  8. "Peter Rabbit". Box Office Mojo. June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  9. "Peter Rabbit". Box Office Mojo. June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  10. "Anyone But You". Box Office Mojo. December 22, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  11. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 7, 2024). "First Weekend Of 2024 Down 16%, As 'Wonka' Leads, 'Night Swim' Paddles To $12M+, 'Aquaman 2' Nears $100M – Saturday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 7, 2024.