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American film director From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wes Ball (born October 28, 1980) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for directing the Maze Runner film trilogy (2014–2018), based on James Dashner's series of novels of the same name, as well as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series.
Wes Ball | |
|---|---|
Ball in 2024 | |
| Born | October 28, 1980 |
| Alma mater | Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
Ball attended Crescent City High School and graduated in 1999. He graduated from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002.[1] In 2003, he won a Student Academy Award for his short, animated film A Work in Progress.[2]
Ball got his start as a Hollywood filmmaker with an animated short named Ruin, which executives at 20th Century Fox saw and offered him the job to direct the adaptation to The Maze Runner.[3] The Maze Runner would be Ball's first feature film.[4] Made on a budget of $34 million, the film pulled in $348 million in box office receipts.[5] Not long after the success of the film, Ball signed a first look deal with 20th Century Fox under his OddBall Entertainment banner.[6]
Ball is attached to direct a film adaptation of Fall of Gods, a crowdfunded illustrated novel from Denmark-based Mood Studios.[7]
In 2017, Ball was hired to direct a live-action/VFX-hybrid adaptation of Mouse Guard, at 20th Century Fox with a script by Gary Whitta and T.S. Nowlin, while Matt Reeves, Ross Richie and Stephen Christy served as producers.[8][9] Production was expected to begin in May 2019, but following the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Fox earlier that year, the project was pulled from production two weeks before filming began.[10][11]
In December 2019, Disney and Fox hired Ball to write and direct a new Planet of the Apes film, titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.[12][13] More recently, his production company OddBall Entertainment moved to Paramount Pictures.[14]
In May 2021, Ball was set to direct The Time Runner, a feature adaptation of the novella of the same name by Michael Sherman.[15] In March 2022, Ball was set to produce a film based on a yet unspecified H. G. Wells book.[16]
In November 2023, it was announced that Ball will direct a live-action film based on The Legend of Zelda for Nintendo and Sony Pictures, with Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad producing.[17]
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Jacob: The Movie | Yes | Yes |
| A Work in Progress | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Ruin | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Maze Runner | Yes | No |
| 2015 | Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials | Yes | Executive |
| 2018 | Maze Runner: The Death Cure | Yes | Yes |
| 2024 | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Yes | Yes |
| TBA | The Legend of Zelda | Yes | No |
| TBA | Ruiner | Yes | No |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | Pre-visualization artist | Documentary short |
| 2007 | Pirate Master | Graphics artist | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Medicine for Melancholy | Special thanks | |
| 2011 | Beginners | Visual effects artist | |
| 2017 | Phoenix Forgotten | Producer |
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