Justin Benson (born June 9, 1983) and Aaron Scott Moorhead (born March 3, 1987) are an American filmmaking duo. Both have served in directing, producing, editing, and acting roles in their projects, while Moorhead is also a cinematographer and Benson is a writer.
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead | |
|---|---|
  Benson (left) and Moorhead (right) at the Sitges Film Festival in 2017. | |
| Born | Justin Benson June 9, 1983 San Diego, California, US Aaron Scott Moorhead March 3, 1987 Tampa, Florida, US |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
Personal lives
editJustin Benson was born on June 9, 1983, in San Diego, California, United States.[1] Aaron Moorhead grew up in Tarpon Springs, Florida and attended Palm Harbor University High School.[2]
As a child, Benson was a fan of the Marvel Comics character Daredevil which later informed his contributions to several Marvel television series, notably Daredevil: Born Again.[3]
Careers
editBoth directed shorts and commercials early in their careers, with Moorhead directing his first film at 19 years old.[4] In 2017, Benson and Moorhead, alongside their producing partner David Lawson Jr., founded the film production company Rustic Films.[5][better source needed]
Their first film, the 2012 horror film Resolution, was screened at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.[6] They described their partnership as purely collaborative, and cast the lead actors after working with them in previous commercials they had worked on.[7][8] Their follow up, the 2014 romantic body horror film Spring, premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[9][10] The film was publicly praised by both Richard Linklater and Guillermo del Toro.[11][12] The pair's work can also be found in the horror anthology film V/H/S: Viral in the segment entitled "Bonestorm".[13][14] Their film The Endless premiered in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017, and was theatrically released in 2018 by Well Go USA Entertainment.[15][16][17] The Endless, alongside their 2019 film Synchronic which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, are in the same shared universe as Resolution.[18][19][20] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo created and starred in Something in the Dirt which was shot in Benson's apartment due to restrictions on the film industry at the time.[21][22]
In television, Benson and Moorhead have contributed to multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe television series. After directing two episodes of Moon Knight, the duo were recruited as lead directors of the second season of Loki.[23] After a significant creative reshuffle on Daredevil: Born Again, the two were hired to direct most of the episodes.[24]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Editor | DoP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | A Glaring Emission | Moorhead | No | Moorhead | Moorhead | No | |
| 2012 | Resolution | Yes | Yes | Benson | Yes | Moorhead | |
| 2014 | V/H/S: Viral | Yes | Yes | Benson | Yes | Moorhead | Segment "Bonestorm" |
| 2014 | Spring | Yes | Yes | Benson | Yes | Moorhead | |
| 2017 | The Endless | Yes | Yes | Benson | Yes | Moorhead | |
| 2019 | Synchronic | Yes | Yes | Benson | Yes | Moorhead | |
| After Midnight | No | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| 2020 | She Dies Tomorrow | No | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2022 | Something in the Dirt | Yes | Yes | Benson | Yes | Moorhead |
Executive producers
- Things Will Be Different (2024)
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer |
Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Twilight Zone | Yes | No | "8" |
| 2022 | Archive 81 | Yes | No | "Terror in the Aisles" |
| "Spirit Receivers" | ||||
| Moon Knight | Yes | No | "Summon the Suit" | |
| "The Tomb" | ||||
| 2023 | Loki | Yes | Yes | "Ouroboros" |
| No | "Breaking Brad" | |||
| "1893" | ||||
| Yes | "Heart of the TVA" | |||
| "Science/Fiction" | ||||
| "Glorious Purpose" | ||||
| 2025 | Daredevil: Born Again | Yes | Yes | TBA |
Acting roles
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | Moorhead | |||
| 2012 | Resolution | Justin | Aaron | |
| 2014 | V/H/S: Viral | Rollerblading marine | Rollerblading marine's buddy | |
| 2015 | Contracted: Phase II | Handsome officer | Less handsome officer | |
| Dementia | Nurse Hollings | — | ||
| 2017 | The Endless | Justin | Aaron | |
| 2019 | After Midnight | Shane | — | |
| 2022 | Something in the Dirt | Levi | John | |
| Breathing Happy | Lotus Soothing yoga voice |
The golden door | ||
| 2023 | Loki | John Anglin | Clarence Anglin | Episode: "Science/Fiction" |
| 2024 | Things Will Be Different | Vice Grip Left | — | |
References
edit- ^ Debruge, Peter (January 2, 2015). "10 Directors to Watch: 'Spring' Duo Benson and Moorhead Break the Mold". Variety. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Daredevil: Born Again Directors Discuss Approach to Disney+ Series (Exclusive)". TV Shows. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ Marrone, John (March 22, 2012). "[Tribeca '12] A Look At 'Resolution', A Film That Defies Genre Classification". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (December 1, 2022). "Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead's Rustic Films Teams With V Channels & XYZ On Genre Slate". Deadline. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Pattern, Dominic (August 15, 2012). "Tribeca Film Picks Up 'Resolution'". Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ bug, ambush. "AICN HORROR talks with Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, directors of RESOLUTION! + Contes winners!". Aint It Cool News. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Meet the 2012 Tribeca Filmmakers #10: 'Resolution' Directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead". Indiewire. April 7, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ Barton, Steve (August 15, 2012). "Spring Sprung in March". Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ "Spring – Comment On this New Video". Dread Central. March 24, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 31, 2016). "'Spring' Filmmakers Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead to Direct and Star in Indie 'The Endless'". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ^ Gupta, Shipra Harbola (July 29, 2014). "TIFF Adds Ethan Hawke, Robert Kenner Docs, Announces Masters, Midnight Madness and Vanguard Programs". Indiewire.com. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Disgusting, Bloody (April 28, 2017). "'The Endless' Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead Talk About Returning to Their Roots - Bloody Disgusting!". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ^ Pattern, Dominic (August 15, 2012). "TIFF Adds Ethan Hawke, Robert Kenner Docs, Announces Masters, Midnight Madness and Vanguard Programs". Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (August 15, 2012). "Tribeca Film Picks Up 'Resolution'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ Busch, Anita (May 1, 2017). "'The Endless' Acquired For Distribution Out Of Tribeca By Well Go USA". Deadline. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- ^ Picurro, Allison (April 21, 2017). "'The Endless' Exclusive Tribeca Promo | IndieWire". Indiewire. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (April 16, 2021). "Synchronic Explained: Benson & Moorhead's Time-Travel Shared Universe". Collider. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Millican, Josh (April 18, 2018). "Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead Discuss The Endless, Resolution, and Red Marijuana". Dread Central. Dread Central Media. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- ^ Mobarak, Jared (May 2, 2018). "Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson on Creating the World of 'The Endless'". The Film Stage. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- ^ Small, Katie (January 23, 2022). "Exploring Paranoia and the Paranormal with "Something in the Dirt"". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Frank, Michael (February 1, 2022). "Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead on Digging Up Something in the Dirt". The Film Stage. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 31, 2023). "'Loki' Season 2 Trailer: Watch Tom Hiddleston's Chaotic Time Travels & Ke Huy Kwan's Series Debut". Deadline. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ Kit, Borys (October 27, 2023). "'Daredevil' TV Series Lands New Showrunner, Directors (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
External links
edit- Justin Benson at IMDb
- Aaron Moorhead at IMDb
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