Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Last updated

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Ryan-fleck-anne-boden.jpg
Fleck (left) and Boden in 2008
Born
Anna Boden

(1979-10-20) October 20, 1979 (age 44)
Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater Columbia University
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2000–present
Children1
Born
Ryan K. Fleck

(1976-09-20) September 20, 1976 (age 47)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma mater New York University Tisch School of the Arts
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2000–present

Anna Boden [1] [2] and Ryan K. Fleck are an American filmmaking duo. The duo rose to prominence for their work on the 2004 short film Gowanus, Brooklyn, which earned the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. They went on to collaborate on the Academy Award-nominated film Half Nelson. [3] Their film Sugar (2008) was honored as one of the Top 10 for 2009 at the American Film Institute Awards; and one of the Top Independent Films at the National Board of Review Awards 2009. They are best known for writing and directing Captain Marvel, which grossed over $1 billion and is one of the highest-grossing films of all time; which made Boden the first woman to direct a live-action movie that has grossed $1 billion. [4] [5]

Contents

The duo received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as executive producers on the limited television series Mrs. America (2020). [6] They are also known for their films It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), Mississippi Grind (2015), [7] [8] Captain Marvel (2019) and Freaky Tales (2024).

Early life

Boden is originally from Massachusetts and grew up in Newton while Fleck graduated from Castro Valley High School. [9] Before attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he studied film, Fleck went to Diablo Valley College to study science and math. [9] Boden attended Columbia University. [10] [11] [12] The two met on the set of a student film where they bonded over the works of Robert Altman and, [13] after Fleck had finished his thesis short film Struggle, they decided to collaborate. [14]

Fleck was born in Berkeley, California and raised there and in Oakland. [15] Fleck had grown up on classic fan favorites such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Back to the Future .

Boden has said that while there was no specific film that inspired her to pursue film making, she had a fondness for watching movies as a child and cites learning about Robert Altman as a turning point in how she viewed film as a medium. [16]

Career

Together they made the short documentaries Have You Seen This Man? and Young Rebels before they wrote and directed the short film Gowanus, Brooklyn, a sample feature aiming to attract potential financiers to their undeveloped script, Half Nelson . [14] [17]

The short won a prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and Boden and Fleck were subsequently invited to the Sundance Writer's Lab to receive professional feedback on the Half Nelson screenplay. [18] The film did not receive adequate financing for years, and while trying to initiate the project, Fleck explains: "We were trying to get it off the ground so we had plenty of time to keep writing and rewriting. I think the time was valuable because I think we made it as good as we could." [19] Though Fleck was the only of the pair to receive directing credit for the film, he has gone on record and said that the work was an equal divide. [16]

In spite of the effort in making the script "as good as we could" prior to filming, Fleck encouraged Half Nelson's actors to ad lib and improvise, although he and lead actor Ryan Gosling compromised many scenes in the rehearsal process as Fleck thought that Gosling's ideas were too different from the script in some cases. [19] He also had several disagreements with Boden while writing; though he claims their "back and forth" system of rewriting each other's work has always worked well. [19] Half Nelson was well received by critics and got nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for Ryan Gosling. Many other nominations went to Ryan Gosling for his role as Dan Dunne.[ citation needed ]

Boden and Fleck have since co-written and co-directed the 2008 film Sugar , which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, about a 19-year-old Dominican man who immigrates to the United States to play minor league baseball. The two wrote the screenplay after researching about many Dominican immigrants who arrive in America to play in minor league towns, saying: "The stories we heard were so fascinating that it became what we were writing before we'd even decided it was our next project". [20] They also collaborated on a screen adaptation of Ned Vizzini's young adult novel It's Kind of a Funny Story , which was released on October 8, 2010. [21] [22]

In 2012, the duo began work on a gambling movie called Mississippi Grind . The idea for the film came when they would visit riverboat casinos in Iowa. By this point in their career, Boden and Fleck had fully committed to each other, "In the early days of our partnership we had to navigate a lot of issues concerning trust and ego. Nowadays, those issues are almost entirely gone. Having a creative partner who you can wholly trust is a wonderful asset." [23]

In April 2017, Boden and Fleck were hired to direct the Marvel Studios film Captain Marvel . [24] They were previously considered to direct another Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy . [25] Producer Kevin Feige said of them, "We met with lots and lots of people... and Anna and Ryan just had an amazing way of talking about Carol Danvers and talking about her journey... We want filmmakers that can help us focus on and elevate the character journey so it doesn't get lost amongst the spectacle." [26] The film was released in March 2019, and became a box office success, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide. In May 2019, it was revealed they would direct the first two episodes and produce the television show Mrs. America starring Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly. [27] As of January 2020 Boden and Fleck were in talks to direct a Marvel Disney+ series. [28]

Personal life

Boden and Fleck formerly dated, [29] however, contrary to popular belief they are not a married couple (though multiple sources [30] [31] continue to erroneously report it). Boden was pregnant at the time of Mississippi Grind's release. [32] Boden is Jewish. [33]

Filmography

Film

Anna Boden

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorRef.
2006 Half Nelson NoYesYesYes [34] [35]
2008 Sugar YesYesExecutiveYes [36]
2009 Children of Invention NoNoNoYes [37] [38]
2010 It's Kind of a Funny Story YesYesNoYes
2015 Mississippi Grind YesYesNoYes [7] [8] [39]
2019 Captain Marvel YesYesNoNo [4] [40]
2024 Freaky Tales YesYesYesNo [41]

Ryan Fleck

YearTitleDirectorWriterRef.
2006 Half Nelson YesYes [34]
2008 Sugar YesYes [36]
2010 It's Kind of a Funny Story YesYes
2015 Mississippi Grind YesYes [7] [8] [39]
2019 Captain Marvel YesYes [4] [40]
2024 Freaky Tales YesYes [41]

Television

Anna Boden

YearTitleDirectorWriterExecutive
Producer		Notes
2011 The Big C YesNoNo2 episodes
2014 30 for 30 NoNoYesEpisode: "The Day the Series Stopped"
2014–2015 The Affair YesNoNo4 episodes [2]
2016–2017 Billions YesNoNo3 episodes [2]
2017 Room 104 YesYesNoEpisode: "Red Tent"
2020 Mrs. America YesNoYes4 episodes [2]
2024 Masters of the Air YesNoNo2 episodes

Ryan Fleck

YearTitleDirectorWriterExecutive
Producer		Notes
2009 In Treatment YesNoNo7 episodes
2011 The Big C YesNoNo2 episodes
2014 30 for 30 YesNoNoEpisode: "The Day the Series Stopped"
2014–2015 Looking YesNoNo3 episodes
The Affair YesNoNo4 episodes
2016–2017 Billions YesNoNo3 episodes
2017 Room 104 YesYesNoEpisode: "Red Tent"
2020 Mrs. America YesNoYes4 episodes
2024 Masters of the Air YesNoNo2 episodes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Gosling</span> Canadian actor (born 1980)

Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor. Prominent in both independent film and major studio features of varying genres, his films have accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTAs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Mendes</span> American actress (born 1974)

Eva de la Caridad Méndez, known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American actress. Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with a series of roles in films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Evans (actor)</span> American actor (born 1981)

Christopher Robert Evans is an American actor. He began his career with roles in television series such as Opposite Sex in 2000. Following appearances in several teen films, including 2001's Not Another Teen Movie, he gained attention for his portrayal of Marvel Comics character the Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Evans made further appearances in film adaptations of comic books and graphic novels: TMNT (2007), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), and Snowpiercer (2013).

<i>Half Nelson</i> (film) 2006 American film

Half Nelson is a 2006 American drama film directed by Ryan Fleck and written by Fleck and Anna Boden. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps and Anthony Mackie. It was scored by Canadian band Broken Social Scene. 26-year-old Gosling was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, becoming the eighth-youngest nominee in the category.

Jamie Patricof is a movie and television producer and co-founder of Electric City Entertainment and Hunting Lane Films.

Castro Valley High School is located in the unincorporated suburban community of Castro Valley, California, United States. It is a State school#United States high school for grades 9 to 12. Named a National Exemplary School in 1984–85 and 1988–89, it was a California Distinguished School in 1987–88, 2000–01, and 2009.

The Independent Film Festival Boston is a not for profit film festival in Boston, Massachusetts.

<i>Sugar</i> (2008 film) American film

Sugar is a 2008 sports drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It follows the story of Miguel Santos, also known as Sugar, a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro de Macorís, struggling to make it to the big leagues and pull himself and his family out of poverty. Playing professionally at a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, Miguel finally gets his break at age 19 when he advances to the United States' minor league system; but when his play on the mound falters, he begins to question the single-mindedness of his life's ambition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tze Chun</span> American filmmaker and comic book publisher

Tze Chun is an American film and TV producer, director, writer, painter, and comic book publisher. He was born in Chicago and raised outside of Boston, and graduated from Milton Academy in 1998. He received his bachelor's degree in film studies at Columbia University.

Elliot C. Graham is an American film editor and producer known for his work on Milk (2008), Steve Jobs (2015), Captain Marvel (2019), and No Time to Die (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algenis Perez Soto</span> Dominican actor

Algenis Perez Soto is a Dominican actor. He is best known for his title role in the film Sugar (2008) and his portrayal of Att-Lass in the film Captain Marvel (2019).

Jeremy Kipp Walker is an independent film producer and director. His recent producing credits include the Oscar nominated films The Big Sick starring Kumail Nanjiani and Half Nelson (THINKFilm) starring Ryan Gosling as well as Table 19 starring Anna Kendrick; Mississippi Grind (A24) starring Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds; It's Kind of a Funny Story starring Zach Galifianakis; Cold Souls starring Paul Giamatti; Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Dominican baseball odyssey Sugar ; Moroccan-based thriller The Passage (THINKFilm) and the space thriller Europa Report. Walker recently directed his first feature film The History of Future Folk, about the acoustic space duo Future Folk. The Independent Spirit Award nominated film was co-directed with J. Anderson Mitchell with whom he previously directed the award-winning short films Super Powers and Goodnight Bill. His physical production credits include the Oscar nominated film Maria Full of Grace as well as the HBO Films projectsEveryday People and Angel Rodriguez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jac Schaeffer</span> American filmmaker (born 1978)

Jacqueline Schaeffer is an American filmmaker best known for her 2009 feature film debut TiMER and for her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe creating the Disney+ television miniseries WandaVision and co-writing the initial story to the film Black Widow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Coogler</span> American filmmaker (born 1986)

Ryan Kyle Coogler is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Nicholson (production designer)</span>

Andy Nicholson is an English production designer who has worked on various films, including Gravity, Divergent, Assassin's Creed, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Nicholson has also worked as an art director for numerous films, including several by director Tim Burton.

<i>Mississippi Grind</i> 2015 American drama

Mississippi Grind is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It stars Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Sienna Miller, Lio Tipton, Alfre Woodard and Robin Weigert. The film was released by A24 on September 25, 2015.

<i>Captain Marvel</i> (film) 2019 Marvel Studios film

Captain Marvel is a 2019 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck from a screenplay they co-wrote with Geneva Robertson-Dworet. It stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law. Set in 1995, the story follows Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after Earth is caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien civilizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGBO</span> American film and television production company

AGBO is an independent entertainment company based in Downtown Los Angeles, founded and led by Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca. The Russo Brothers are best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Recent AGBO TV releases include Citadel, a television series with Amazon Prime Video starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Recent AGBO film releases include Extraction, written by Joe Russo and starring Chris Hemsworth; Extraction 2; The Gray Man with Netflix in 2022; and Academy Award-Winning Best Picture film Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Freaky Tales is a 2024 American drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film stars Pedro Pascal, Boden and Fleck's longtime collaborator Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Dominique Thorne, singer Normani in her feature film debut, Jack Champion, Tom Hanks and Angus Cloud in one of his final roles.

References

  1. ↑ "Anna Boden". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 viapiuser (December 16, 2019). "Anna Boden". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  3. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (January 24, 2006). "Half Nelson". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 April 03, Joey Nolfi; EDT, 2019 at 12:57 PM. "'Captain Marvel' tops $1 billion at global box office". EW.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "'Captain Marvel' Is the First Female Superhero Movie to Gross $1 Billion Worldwide". Yahoo Finance. April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Outstanding Miniseries Nominees / Winners 2020". Television Academy. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden Return to Their Sundance Roots With Mississippi Grind". Vanity Fair. January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Scott, A. O. (September 24, 2015). "Review: 'Mississippi Grind' Keeps Its Cards Close". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  9. 1 2 March 6, Caroline John-Published; Am, 2019 at 10:14 (March 6, 2019). "Are Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck Married?: Personal Life, Family, Children". Earn The Necklace. Retrieved March 13, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ People In Film: Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden|It's Kind of a Funny Story Archived March 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , FocusFeatures.com; accessed April 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ Brooklyn Filmmakers Take the Lead Archived April 3, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , nysun.com; accessed April 4, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Anna Boden '02 Wins with Half Nelson". Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  13. ↑ Van Bergen, Jamie. "A Good Team". DGA. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Ross, Matthew. "25 NEW FACES OF INDIE FILM 2004". Filmmaker Magazine . Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  15. ↑ Johnston, Sheila (June 23, 2007). "Filmmakers on film: Ryan Fleck". The Daily Telegraph . London, UK. Retrieved June 7, 2008.[ dead link ]
  16. 1 2 "Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden". October 8, 2010.
  17. ↑ Carnevale, Rob. "Half Nelson – Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden interview". IndieLondon. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  18. ↑ Gent, A. "Half Nelson Q & A With Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden". IO Film. Archived from the original on May 27, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  19. 1 2 3 Murray, Rebecca. "Exclusive Interview with Half Nelson Writer/Director Ryan Fleck". About.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, Sugar". The Reeler. January 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  21. ↑ Sciretta, Peter (November 30, 2009). "Ryan Fleck's It's Kind of a Funny Story Begins Production". /Film . Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
  22. ↑ Subers, Ray (May 19, 2010). "MPAA Ratings: 'Toy Story 3,' 'Grown Ups,' 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' & More". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
  23. ↑ Macaulay, Scott (January 24, 2015). "Five Questions for Writer/Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck about their Sundance Premiere, Mississippi Grind". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  24. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 19, 2017). "'Captain Marvel' Finds Directors in Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  25. ↑ Kit, Borys (August 18, 2012). "James Gunn in Talks to Direct Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  26. ↑ David, Erik (April 20, 2017). "Exclusive: Kevin Feige on Why Marvel Chose Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden to Direct 'Captain Marvel'". Fandango. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  27. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (May 14, 2019). "Sarah Paulson, Uzo Aduba, Rose Byrne, James Marsden Join Cate Blanchett in FX Drama". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  28. ↑ Kit, Borys (January 22, 2020). "'Captain Marvel 2' in the Works With 'WandaVision' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  29. ↑ A 'Funny Story' about two directors. The Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to Direct "Captain Marvel"". womenandhollywood.com.
  31. ↑ Scott, A.O. (April 2, 2009). "Diamond in the Rough". New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  32. ↑ Pritchard, Tiffany (January 25, 2015). "Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, Mississippi Grind". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  33. ↑ In Woodys footsteps: Indie filmmaker pushes her boundaries and finds success. The Jewish News of Norther California. September 28, 2012.
  34. 1 2 "Half Nelson". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  35. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (August 11, 2006). "In 'Half Nelson,' a Student Knows a Teacher's Secret". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  36. 1 2 "Tom Shone talks to Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck about neo-neorealism cinema". the Guardian. May 14, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  37. ↑ Anderson, John (February 23, 2010). "Children of Invention". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  38. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (March 11, 2010). "That American Dream: Scheme and Scramble". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  39. 1 2 Chang, Justin (January 25, 2015). "Film Review: 'Mississippi Grind'". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  40. 1 2 Scott, A. O. (March 5, 2019). "'Captain Marvel' Review: Brie Larson Takes a Trip to the '90s". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  41. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (November 16, 2022). "Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis And Jack Champion Among Those Joining Ensemble Of eOne And Macro's 'Freaky Tales' From Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden". Deadline. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
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.