Jaume Collet-Serra

Jaume Collet-Serra (; born 23 March 1974) is a Spanish-American film director and producer. He directed the horror films '' House of Wax'' (2005), ''Orphan'' (2009), and '' The Shallows'' (2016), and is known for his collaborations with Liam Neeson on the thriller films ''Unknown'' (2011), '' Non-Stop'' (2014), '' Run All Night'' (2015) and '' The Commuter'' (2018), and Dwayne Johnson on the blockbuster films '' Jungle Cruise'' (2021) and '' Black Adam'' (2022). His 2024 film '' Carry-On'' had the second-most views ever on Netflix as of March 2025.

Early life

Collet-Serra was born in Sant Iscle de Vallalta, in the Catalan province of Barcelona. At the age of 18, he moved to Los Angeles, California and attended Columbia College Hollywood, working as an editor on the side. After graduating in 1996, he began directing music videos and television commercials for brands such as PlayStation, Budweiser, and Verizon.

Career

2005–2010

In 2005, Collet-Serra was given an opportunity to direct his first feature film by producer Joel Silver. The film, '' House of Wax'', was a remake of the 1953 film of the same name, and starred Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray and featured Paris Hilton. Despite a negative critical reception, it was a financial success. Two years later, Collet-Serra directed '' Goal II: Living the Dream'', the second film in the '' Goal!'' film trilogy, in which the main character, star Mexican footballer Santiago Muñez ( Kuno Becker), goes to play for Real Madrid. Collet-Serra reunited with producer Silver for his third film, ''Orphan'', a 2009 American psychological horror film starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman, about on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious nine-year-old girl. The film received mixed critical reviews but was a box office success, earning around $80 million on a $20 million budget.

2011–2015

Collet-Serra then directed ''Unknown'', a 2011 action thriller starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, and Frank Langella. The film is based on the 2003 French novel published in English as ''Out of My Head'', by Didier Van Cauwelaert. Collet-Serra made his television directing debut with the ABC pilot '' The River'', a horror drama from '' Paranormal Activity'' writer-director Oren Peli. The show was met with generally favourable reviews. In December 2012, he began filming for his next film '' Non-Stop'', which starred Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.

Collet-Serra formed his own production house Ombra Films. With money from StudioCanal, the small company set out to make low-budget English-language horror films, with an eye toward launching the careers of up-and-coming Spanish filmmakers. Juan Sola, Collet-Serra's producing partner, told ''Deadline Hollywood'', "We've seen how many talented directors are coming out of Spain, but there hasn't really been a platform for them to find work in films. They look up to Jaume as a guy they want to become and we thought, how about a company that creates a bridge between Spain and the U.S., similar to what Luc Besson provided in France? Already, we are being bombarded, and we feel directors will find Ombra a fantastic platform. Jaume loves mentoring new talent." The venture's first film was '' Mindscape'', a psychological thriller about a man with the ability to enter people's memories, starring Taissa Farmiga, Mark Strong, and Brian Cox. Collet-Serra executive produced the found footage comedy-horror film '' Hooked Up'', which was directed by Pablo Larcuen and was shot on an iPhone.

2016–present

Collet-Serra directed and executive produced '' The Shallows'', a 2016 horror-thriller starring Blake Lively, from a script by Anthony Jaswinski, and '' The Commuter'', an action-thriller starring Liam Neeson, which was released on January 12, 2018, and also features Vera Farmiga, Sam Neill, and Elizabeth McGovern.

Collet-Serra served as director for '' Jungle Cruise'' from The Walt Disney Company, starring Dwayne Johnson. The film was based on the concept of the ride of the same name at Disneyland.

In June 2019, Collet-Serra signed on to direct '' Black Adam'', written by Adam Sztykiel and starring Dwayne Johnson. Johnson served as a producer on the project alongside Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, and Scott Sheldon. Collet-Serra emerged as the frontrunner to direct after his work on ''Jungle Cruise''. The film is a co-production between Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPicturesCo. film studios. Production began in April 2021.

In 2021, Collet-Serra began directing Netflix thriller, titled '' Carry-On''. It follows a TSA agent blackmailed into allowing a dangerous package on board a flight, starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman. It released December 13, 2024.

In February 2024, it was announced that Collet-Serra would direct '' The Woman in the Yard'', produced by Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions and starring Danielle Deadwyler. The film was released on March 28, 2025; it was originally scheduled to be released on January 10, but was removed from the release schedule in March 2024 before being rescheduled in May.

Upcoming projects

In March 2019, ''TheWrap'' reported that Collet-Serra was to direct ''Victory'', a remake of the 1981 film '' Escape to Victory''.

In August 2021, Collet-Serra signed on to direct a sequel to '' Jungle Cruise''.

In October 2024, it was announced that Collet-Serra would direct an untitled reboot of the 1993 film ''Cliffhanger'', starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, with filming beginning that month in Austria.

Personal life

Collet-Serra resides in the Hollywood Hills West neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Producer
* '' Mindscape'' (2013)
* ''Extinction'' (2015)
* ''Curve'' (2015)
* '' Eden'' (2015)
* '' Retribution'' (2023)

Executive producer only
* '' Hooked Up'' (2013)
* '' Horizon Line'' (2020)

Television

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaime Collet-Serra
1974 births
American people of Catalan descent
Spanish emigrants to the United States
Film directors from Los Angeles
Film producers from California
Film directors from Catalonia
Living people
Film directors from California
Action film directors
Mass media people from Barcelona
Spanish film producers
Spanish horror film directors
Hispanic and Latino American film directors