Dan Trachtenberg (born May 11, 1981) is an American filmmaker and podcast host.[2]
Dan Trachtenberg | |
|---|---|
 Trachtenberg shooting The Totally Rad Show in 2007 | |
| Born | May 11, 1981 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Temple University |
| Occupation(s) | Director, writer, podcast host |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse |
Priscilla Hernandez (m. 2011) |
| Children | 1[1] |
| Website | dantrachtenberg |
He is best known for directing the films 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and Prey (2022), the former earning him a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film.[3] For television, he directed the pilot episodes of The Boys (2019) and The Lost Symbol (2021), the latter on which he also served as an executive producer.
Trachtenberg was one of three hosts of The Totally Rad Show podcast and a former co-host of the Geekdrome podcast. He also directed episodes for the Ctrl+Alt+Chicken podcast. All three programs were hosted at Revision3. He also directed the 2011 short film Portal: No Escape, an episode of Black Mirror entitled "Playtest", and various television commercials and public service announcements. He is currently developing a TV series adaptation of the 1995 film Waterworld.
Directing
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Trachtenberg has directed commercials for Lexus, Nike, and Coca-Cola. In 2003, he directed the short film Kickin'. In April 2008, he joined Tight Films,[4] for which he collaborated with Matt Wolf on an alternate reality game for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
He directed the internet show, Ctrl+Alt+Chicken.
In March 2011, Trachtenberg released a short film for BlackBoxTV titled More Than You Can Chew, starring J. Kristopher, Skye Marshall and Ian Hamrick. Trachtenberg co-wrote the story with Mark D. Walker.
On August 23, 2011, Trachtenberg released the short film Portal: No Escape,[5] based on the video game Portal, which has since garnered more than twenty-seven million views on YouTube.[6]
On October 13, 2011, /Film announced that Trachtenberg would be directing a science fiction action heist film for Universal Pictures with writer Chris Morgan.[7]
In January 2013, iFanboy broke the news that Trachtenberg would direct the film adaptation of Y: The Last Man.[8] However, on September 25, 2014, /Film announced that the film had been cancelled.[9]
On April 3, 2014, Ain't It Cool News announced that Trachtenberg would direct a film for Bad Robot titled Valencia, which was later revealed to be a code name for 10 Cloverfield Lane.[10][11] On January 15, 2016, the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane was released. Producer J. J. Abrams said about the film, "The idea came up a long time ago during production. We wanted to make it a blood relative of Cloverfield. The idea was developed over time. We wanted to hold back the title for as long as possible."[12]
On April 30, 2018, it was announced that Dan Trachtenberg would direct the first episode of the Amazon series The Boys, replacing Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[13]
On January 14, 2019, Trachtenberg was announced to be directing a live action film adaptation of the video game series Uncharted.[14] However on August 22, 2019, it was announced he had exited the film.[15]
On November 20, 2020, it was announced that Trachtenberg had been engaged by 20th Century Studios to direct the fifth installment in the Predator film series, titled Prey.[16] For his work on the film, Trachtenberg received two nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.[17]
On June 28 2023 it was announced that Trachtenberg will direct at least one episode in the final season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.[18]
As of February 2024, Trachtenberg is developing the film Badlands. It is another spinoff from the Predator series and separate from his film Prey.[19]
Personal life
editTrachtenberg married Priscilla Hernandez in 2011.[20]
Trachtenberg attended Temple University graduating in 2003. [21]
Filmography
editShort film
- Kickin' (2003)
- Portal: No Escape (2011)
- More Than You Can Chew (2012)
- Warframe (2019)
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 10 Cloverfield Lane | Yes | No |
| 2022 | Prey | Yes | Story |
| 2025 | Untitled Predator film | Yes | Yes |
| Predator: Badlands | Yes | Yes |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Black Mirror | Episode "Playtest" |
| 2019 | The Boys | Episode "The Name of the Game" |
| 2021 | The Lost Symbol | Episode "Pilot"; Also executive producer |
| 2025 | Stranger Things | [22] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017
|
Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film | 10 Cloverfield Lane | Nominated | [23] |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best New Filmmaker | Won | [24] | ||
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Feature Debut | Nominated | [25] | ||
2023
|
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Prey | Nominated | [26] |
| Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Instagram".
- ^ Rachel Kurland, Scare Tactics Pay off for Cheltenham's Dan Trachtenberg. The Jewish Exponent. March 14, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "69th Annual DGA Awards". dga.org. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ "Danny T, Russell Make tight Connection". SHOOTonline.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Dan Trachtenberg on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ Hart, Hugh (10 January 2013). "Portal: No Escape Director Snags Y: The Last Man Movie". Wired. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ "Portal: No Escape Helmer Dan Trachtenberg To Direct Sci-fi Heist Movie 'Crime of the Century' For Universal". /Film. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Breaking: Dan Trachtenberg To Direct Y: The Last Man". iFanboy. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "The Y: The Last Man Movie Is Dead Again; Dan Trachtenberg Talks About the Adaptation". /Film. September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
- ^ "Dan Trachtenberg will no longer be making his debut with Y:The Last Man and will instead direct Valencia for Bad Robot!". Ain't It Cool News. April 3, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (January 14, 2016). "10 Cloverfield Lane Is the Title of J.J. Abrams' Secret Bad Robot Movie". Collider.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Sciretta, Peter (January 14, 2016). "Bad Robot's 10 Cloverfield Lane Trailer: Is This Cloverfield 2?". /Film. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 30, 2018). "'The Boys': Dan Trachtenberg To Direct First Episode Of Superhero Drama Series For Amazon". Deadline. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ "'10 Cloverfield Lane' Director Boards 'Uncharted' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)!". Variety. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ "PlayStation Boards Sony Pic 'Uncharted' With Tom Holland; Studio Closing In On Director After Dan Trachtenberg Exits". Deadline. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike (November 20, 2020). "'Predator' Returning With '10 Cloverfield Lane' Helmer Dan Trachtenberg At 20th Century Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ Sherman, Rachel (July 12, 2023). "Emmy Nominees 2023: The Complete List". The New York Times.
- ^ "Dan Trachtenberg Is Headed to the Upside Down". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (February 9, 2024). "Dan Trachtenberg To Direct New Standalone 'Predator' Movie 'Badlands' As 20th Century Expands On Universe". Deadline. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Chen, David (November 1, 2011). "Dan and Priscilla's Wedding". www.davechen.net.
- ^ https://news.temple.edu/news/2024-01-24/temple-stars-shine-bright-film-and-television-awards
- ^ "Dan Trachtenberg Will Direct on 'Stranger Things' Season 5". Collider. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ "69th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ "The Hawaii Film Critics Society 2016 List". Hawaii Film Critics Society. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "21st Annual Film Awards (2016)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Dan Trachtenberg". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.