Len Wiseman

Len Ryan Wiseman (born March 4, 1973) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work on the ''Underworld'' series (2003–2016), ''Live Free or Die Hard'' (2007), and the 2012 remake of '' Total Recall''. Wiseman runs the production company Sketch Films.

Early life and education

Wiseman was born and raised in Fremont, California. He attended American High School and later studied film at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.

Career

Wiseman began his career in film as a property assistant on a number of Roland Emmerich films: ''Stargate'' (1994); ''Independence Day'' (1996); and ''Godzilla'' (1998). After creating advertisements for clients including Sony, he directed music videos for artists such as Megadeth, En Vogue, Static-X & Mephisto Odyssey. He received a Best Art Direction nomination for Quarashi's "Stick 'Em Up" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and a Best Director nomination for Rufus Wainwright's "Across the Universe" at the Music Video Production Association (MVPA) Awards.

In 2003, Wiseman co-created and directed the film ''Underworld''. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, the film did well at the box office. He directed the 2006 sequel '' Underworld: Evolution'', and produced the follow-ups '' Underworld: Rise of the Lycans'', '' Underworld: Awakening'', and '' Underworld: Blood Wars''.

In 2007, he directed the fourth installment of the ''Die Hard'' series, ''Live Free or Die Hard'', starring Bruce Willis, which opened to generally favorable reviews and box office success. He directed the 2012 release '' Total Recall'', which starred Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, and his wife Kate Beckinsale. In 2013, it was announced that Wiseman would direct a live action film version of the comic book series '' The Darkness'' (though no updates have been announced as of March 2016).

Wiseman has also directed the pilot episodes of three television series—the 2010 launch of CBS's '' Hawaii Five-0'', the 2013 pilot of Fox's '' Sleepy Hollow'', and the 2016 pilot of Fox series ''Lucifer''. All three series were picked up for ongoing production, though Wiseman was not involved in further episodes.

It was announced on October 8, 2019 that Wiseman will direct the ''John Wick'' female-centric spin-off film titled ''Ballerina''.

Personal life

Wiseman's first marriage was to a kindergarten teacher named Dana in 1994. They divorced in 2003 after Wiseman met actor Kate Beckinsale on the set of his 2003 release ''Underworld''. Beckinsale also ended a relationship with her partner Michael Sheen.

Wiseman and Beckinsale were married on May 9, 2004, in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California. On November 20, 2015, it was announced that they were separating and in 2016, he filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences." As of November 2019, their divorce was finalized.

Filmography

Films

Television series

Music videos

Commercials

* ''Sony''
* ''PlayStation''
* ''Nintendo DS''
* ''Metroid Prime Hunters''

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Len
1973 births
American music video directors
American male screenwriters
De Anza College alumni
Living people
Film directors from California
American action film directors
American horror film directors
Film producers from California
People from Fremont, California
American television directors
Screenwriters from California
American High School (California) alumni
Television commercial directors