Wes Ball

Wes Ball (born October 28, 1980) is an American film director, visual effects artist and graphic artist. He is best known for directing the 2014 film The Maze Runner, based on James Dashner's novel.[1] Ball also directed the sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, which opened in theaters on September 18, 2015, and the third film, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, which opened on January 11, 2018.[2]

Wes Ball
Ball in July 2014
Born (1980-10-28) October 28, 1980
Florida, United States
Alma materFSU College of Motion Picture Arts
OccupationFilm director, visual effects artist, graphic artist
Known forMaze Runner Trilogy, Ruin, Mouse Guard

Education

Ball attended Crescent City Jr./Sr. High School and graduated in 1999. He graduated from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts with a BFA in 2002.[3] In 2003, Ball won a Student Academy Award for his short animated film, A Work in Progress.[4]

Career

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.[5] The Maze Runner would be Ball's first feature film. Made on a budget of $34 million, the film pulled in $348 million in box office receipts.[6] Not long after the success of the film, Ball signed a first look deal with 20th Century Fox under his OddBall Entertainment banner.[7]

Ball is attached to direct a film adaptation of Fall of Gods, a crowdfunded illustrated novel from Denmark-based Mood Studios.[8]

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.[9][10] Production was expected to begin in May 2019, but the project was pulled from production two weeks before filming began.[11]

In December 2019, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Fox hired Ball to develop and direct a new film in the Planet of the Apes reboot series.[12][13]

Filmography

Film and Television
Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer Artist Other
2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D No No No Yes No Pre-visualization artist
Documentary short
2007 Pirate Master No No No Yes No Graphics artist: 1 episode
Reality television series
2008 Medicine for Melancholy No No No No Yes Special thanks
2011 Beginners No No No Yes No Visual effects artist
2014 The Maze Runner Yes No No No No Directorial debut
2015 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Yes No executive No No
2017 Phoenix Forgotten No No Yes No No
2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Yes No Yes No No
TBA Untitled Planet of the Apes film Yes Yes No No No Announced[14]
Co-wrote with Josh Friedman
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References
  1. Taylor, Ella (9 September 2014). "Film Review: 'The Maze Runner'". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  2. Marc, Christopher (2019-06-26). "Director Wes Ball Reveals Stunning Animation Test Footage From His Cancelled 'Mouse Guard' Movie". HN Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  3. McKaig, Nick (September 23, 2014). "#1 Box Office film directed by FSU Film alum". Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  4. "Watch the Academy Award-Winning Short by 'The Maze Runner' Director Wes Ball". Film School Rejects. 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  5. Bahr, Lindsay (2015-09-15). "Wes Ball, Hollywood's new blockbuster visionary". Associated Press. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  6. McNary, Dave (2019-01-28). "Box Office: 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Dominates With $62.6 Million Internationally". Variety. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  7. McNary, Dave (2016-01-27). "'Maze Runner' Director Wes Ball Signs First-Look Deal With Fox". Variety. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  8. Kit, Borys (August 25, 2015). "'Maze Runner' Director to Tackle Norse Mythology With 'Fall of Gods' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  9. Fleming Jr, Mike (September 7, 2017). "Fox Eyes Maze Runner's Wes Ball For Mouse Guard". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  10. Polito, Thomas (April 6, 2019). "Exclusive: The Maze Runner Scribe T.S. Nowlin Tapped to Write Screenplay for Wes Ball's Mouse Guard". Omega Underground. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. Kit, Borys; Kilkenny, Katie (2019-04-17). "Disney Scraps 'Mouse Guard' Two Weeks Before Production Set to Begin". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  12. Kit, Borys (December 3, 2019). "New Planet of the Apes Movie in the Works With Maze Runner Filmmaker Wes Ball (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  13. "Daniel Dorrance Joins 'Planet of the Apes' Reboot For 20th Century Studios (EXCLUSIVE)". Discussing Film. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  14. "New 'Planet of the Apes' Movie in the Works With 'Maze Runner' Filmmaker Wes Ball (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2019.


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