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William Brent Bell

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William Brent Bell
Bell on the set of The Boy in 2015
Born
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, producer
Years active1997–present

William Brent Bell is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his work on horror films such as Stay Alive (2006), The Devil Inside (2012), Wer (2013), The Boy (2016), Brahms: The Boy II (2020), Separation (2021), Orphan: First Kill (2022), and Lord of Misrule (2023). His films have grossed over $300 million worldwide at the box office.

Life and career

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Bell was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with writing partner Matthew Peterman, Bell wrote the screenplay Mercury, which was bought by Universal Studios with Gale Anne Hurd producing.[1] Bell and Peterman went on to set up studio projects such as Ignition at Warner Bros. with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn producing and Illusion at Walt Disney Pictures.[2] The duo created several one-hour TV series including Eye to Eye with Warner Bros. Television and McG, Worthy and McGraw with ABC Television and Tim Minear as well as The Fix with Sarah Timberman and Sony Television. Bell and Peterman have also developed a number of videogames including Master Thief, with John Woo.[3]

Bell's first horror project was as co-writer and director of Stay Alive, produced with McG and Peter Schlessel and financed by Spyglass Entertainment and Endgame Entertainment. Stay Alive was distributed domestically by Buena Vista Pictures and internationally by Universal Pictures. His second horror film was The Devil Inside, also written with Matt Peterman. Produced by Peterman and Morris Paulson, the film stars Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth, and Suzan Crowley, and was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures. The film topped the US box office on its opening weekend, becoming a record-breaking commercial success and grossing over $100 million.[4]

In 2013, Bell went into production on his third horror film, Wer[5] which was released by Focus Features. Nav Qateel of Influx Magazine called Wer, "the best Werewolf film I've seen in years, or perhaps, ever."[6] Epic Horror Review wrote, "Wer not only redefines the werewolf movie but also saves it."[7] Wer would go on to be described by horrornews.net as, "One of the best films I've seen so far this year and a must to watch."[8] and "a film that you want to not only watch but add to your collection" by wickedchannel.com [9]

In 2014, Bell sold his pilot Posthuman to USA Network and Universal Cable Productions with Jason Blum producing. In 2015, Bell set up a series at Fox entitled Haunted with Chris Morgan of the Fast & Furious franchise. This 20th Century Fox Television production was loosely based on The Demon of Brownsville Road: A Pittsburgh Family's Battle with Evil.[10]

In 2015, Bell would direct The Boy, which Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi produced through Lakeshore Entertainment, along with Matt Berenson, Jim Wedaa, and Roy Lee. The script was written by Stacey Menear and starred Lauren Cohan, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, Rupert Evans, and James Russell. STX Entertainment released The Boy on January 22, 2016, and it went on to gross a worldwide total of $77 million, against a budget of just $8 million.[11] Chris Alexander of ShockTilYouDrop called it "one of the best contemporary wide release horror movies I've seen in years."[12] Joe Leydon criticized the story line as average in Variety and commented, "Despite game efforts by the cast, this tepid horror opus is never scary enough to overcome its silly premise."[13] In 2017, GQ Magazine called the film, "the most underrated horror movie of 2016."[14]

In 2019 Bell directed the sequel Brahms: The Boy II, starring Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, Christopher Convery and Owain Yeoman. It was written by Stacey Menear and released on February 21, 2020. Later that year, Bell directed and produced Separation, an American horror film, from a screenplay by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun, starring Rupert Friend, Violet McGraw, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer and Brian Cox. In March 2021, Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment released the film on April 30, 2021.[15]

In 2021, Bell directed Orphan: First Kill from a screenplay by David Coggeshall. It is a prequel to the 2009 film Orphan. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick serves as executive producer. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role as Esther, with Julia Stiles also starring. In September 2021, Paramount Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film,[16] Orphan: First Kill was released on August 19, by Paramount Players in select theatres, digital, and streaming via Paramount+. As of December 15, 2022, the $8 million Orphan: First Kill has grossed a total of $44.5 million worldwide.[17] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 72% based on 137 reviews[18]

Bell's latest release is Lord of Misrule, a folk horror film starring Tuppence Middleton, Ralph Ineson, and Matt Stokoe.[19] Lord of Misrule was released by Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing in select theatres, digital, and streaming via Hulu. The film currently holds an approval rating of 63% with an audience rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes[20] Lord of Misrule was included on the Hollywood Reporter list of "Best Horror Films of 2023."[21]

Filmography

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Year Film Director Writer Producer
1997 Sparkle and Charm Yes Yes Yes
2006 Stay Alive Yes Yes No
2012 The Devil Inside Yes Yes No
2013 Wer Yes Yes No
2016 The Boy Yes No No
2020 Brahms: The Boy II Yes No No
2021 Separation Yes No Yes
2022 Orphan: First Kill Yes No No
2023 Lord of Misrule Yes No Yes

References

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  1. ^ "'Mercury' Rises For Valhalla, Digital Domain". Archived from the original on November 25, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  2. ^ http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?person_id=45236[dead link‍]
  3. ^ "William Brent Bell". Hollywood.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  4. ^ Heath, Paul (July 28, 2015). "What are the most profitable films of the last 5 years?". The Hollywood News. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "'Stay Alive' Duo Reteam for Doc-Style 'The Devil Inside'". BloodyDisgusting. October 19, 2009.
  6. ^ Qateel, Nav. "Influx Magazine Wer Review". influxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  7. ^ "Epic Horror Review Wer". epichorrorblog.blogspot.com. May 31, 2014.
  8. ^ "Film Review: Wer (2014)". horrornews.net. June 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "Horror Review: Wer". May 5, 2014.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 19, 2015). "'Haunted' Horror Drama Produced By Chris Morgan In Works At Fox". Deadline. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  11. ^ "The Boy 2016 Re-release". boxofficemojo.com.
  12. ^ Alexander, Chris (January 23, 2016). "The Boy is an Atmospheric, Wildly Gothic Gem". shocktilyoudrop.com.
  13. ^ Leydon, Joe (January 22, 2016). "'The Boy' Review: A Tepid Horror Movie". Variety.com.
  14. ^ Phillip, Tom (May 31, 2017). "This Week, Watch The Most Underrated Horror Movie of 2016". gq.com.
  15. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 1, 2021). "Open Road & Briarcliff Land 'Separation', Set April Wide Release For William Brent Bell-Helmed Horror Film With Brian Cox & Rupert Friend". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  16. ^ Kit, Borys (September 9, 2021). "Paramount Picks Up Horror Thriller 'Orphan: First Kill' From eOne, Dark Castle (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  17. ^ "Orphan: First Kill (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  18. ^ "Orphan: First Kill (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "Tuppence Middleton & Ralph Ineson Set For Folk Horror 'Lord Of Misrule' From 'The Boy' Director William Brent Bell; Filming Underway In UK". Deadline Hollywood. October 25, 2021.
  20. ^ "Lord of Misrule (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  21. ^ Newby, Richard (December 21, 2023). "The Best Horror Movies of 2023". hollywoodreporter.com.
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