Matt Reeves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matt Reeves
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Reeves in 2014
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| Born | April 27, 1966 |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) | Melinda Wang |
| Children | 1 |
Matt Reeves (born April 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing popular movies like the monster film Cloverfield (2008), the vampire drama Let Me In (2010), and the science fiction films Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He also directed the superhero movie The Batman (2022), which stars Robert Pattinson as Batman.
Early life and first films
Matt Reeves was born on April 27, 1966, in Rockville Centre, New York. When he was five, his family moved to Los Angeles. He made his first film at just eight years old, using a simple camera and directing his friends.
When he was 13, Reeves met and became friends with J. J. Abrams, who also became a famous filmmaker. A local TV channel in Los Angeles, called Z Channel, even showed their short films. When Reeves and Abrams were 15 or 16, the famous director Steven Spielberg hired them to help transfer some of his old home movies to video.
Reeves later went to the University of Southern California. There, he studied screenwriting, which is the art of writing movie scripts. In the early 1990s, he made a student film called Mr. Petrified Forest. This film won an award and helped him find an agent to represent his work. He also helped write a script that later became the movie Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. After college, he co-wrote the script for Cloverfield, which he later directed.
Career highlights
Reeves started his directing career with the horror film Future Shock in 1994. He also directed the romantic comedy The Pallbearer (1996), which was shown at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.
Reeves became well-known for co-creating the TV show Felicity with J. J. Abrams. This drama series aired from 1998 to 2002. Reeves directed several episodes, including the very first one.
He gained even more fame for directing the science fiction monster movie Cloverfield (2008). J. J. Abrams produced this film. Reeves also worked as an executive producer on other movies in the Cloverfield series, like 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018). An executive producer helps manage the money and creative parts of a film.
In 2008, Reeves was chosen to write and direct Let Me In (2010). This was an English version of a popular Swedish vampire film.
Reeves then directed the science fiction film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). This movie was a big success with both audiences and critics. Because of this, he signed a deal to make more films with 20th Century Fox. He then wrote and directed the next movie in the series, War for the Planet of the Apes, which came out in 2017.
In 2018, Reeves started a deal with Netflix to produce films through his company, 6th & Idaho. He also worked as an executive producer on TV shows like The Passage and Tales from the Loop. In 2020, he signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to create new TV shows. He was an executive producer for the Netflix show Away (2020), starring Hilary Swank.
In 2022, Reeves also became a producer for the heist film Lift, which was released on Netflix in 2024.
The Batman
In 2017, Matt Reeves was chosen to direct and produce a new Batman movie called The Batman. He decided to make a fresh story about a younger Batman, separate from other DC superhero movies. Reeves co-wrote the script, and filming began in 2020.
The Batman premiered in London in February 2022 and was released in theaters in March 2022. It stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman. This movie is planned to be the first part of a new Batman film series. A sequel, The Batman Part II, is expected in October 2027, with Reeves returning to write and direct.
Reeves is also an executive producer for a Batman animated series called Batman: Caped Crusader, which started airing in 2024 on Amazon Prime Video. He also executive produced The Penguin, a TV series that is a spin-off from The Batman movie. It stars Colin Farrell as the villain Penguin.
Future projects
Matt Reeves is working on several new projects. He is developing a TV series based on the novel The New Wilderness. He is also set to produce a live-action movie called The Hunt for Atlantis for Netflix. In 2021, he was announced as a producer for an English remake of the Russian science fiction film Sputnik.
In 2022, Reeves was announced as a producer for a vampire film called Smile for Netflix. He is also set to direct and produce a TV series about the silent film star Buster Keaton, starring Rami Malek.
Reeves is also involved in other Batman-related projects with DC Studios. He is a co-producer for an animated film called Dynamic Duo, which is about the characters Dick Grayson and Jason Todd as Robin. He is also co-producing a standalone film about the villain Clayface.
Personal life
Matt Reeves is married to Melinda Wang, who used to be an animator. They have one son together.
