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Wes Ball

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Wes Ball
Ball in 2024
Born (1980-10-28) October 28, 1980 (age 44)
Alma materFlorida State University College of Motion Picture Arts
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
Years active2002–present

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.

Education

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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]

Career

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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]

Filmography

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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

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Watch the Academy Award-Winning Short by 'The Maze Runner' Director Wes Ball". Film School Rejects. September 17, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  3. ^ Bahr, Lindsay (September 15, 2015). "Wes Ball, Hollywood's new blockbuster visionary". Associated Press. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. ^ Taylor, Ella (September 9, 2014). "Film Review: 'The Maze Runner '". Variety. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  5. ^ McNary, Dave (January 28, 2019). "Box Office: 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Dominates With $62.6 Million Internationally". Variety. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (January 27, 2016). "'Maze Runner' Director Wes Ball Signs First-Look Deal With Fox". Variety. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  7. ^ Kit, Borys (August 25, 2015). "'Maze Runner' Director to Tackle Norse Mythology With 'Fall of Gods' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 7, 2017). "Fox Eyes Maze Runner's Wes Ball For Mouse Guard". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys; Kilkenny, Katie (April 17, 2019). "Disney Scraps 'Mouse Guard' Two Weeks Before Production Set to Begin". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Marc, Christopher (June 26, 2019). "Director Wes Ball Reveals Stunning Animation Test Footage From His Cancelled 'Mouse Guard' Movie". HN Entertainment. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  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. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 22, 2021). "Wes Ball Tethers His Oddball Entertainment Banner To First-Look Paramount Pictures Deal". Deadline. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. "Paramount Lands 'The Time Runner' For Wes Ball To Direct; Steve Desmond & Michael Sherman Scripting". Deadline Hollywood.
  16. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 28, 2022). "Paramount Developing H.G. Wells Project From Wes Ball's OddBall Entertainment; Laura Gillis Tapped To Write Latest Draft Of The Script". Deadline. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  17. ^ "Development of a Live-Action Film of The Legend of Zelda to Start". Nintendo. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
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