Neal H. Moritz (born June 6, 1959) is an American film producer and founder of Original Film. He has produced over 70 major motion pictures which have grossed a total of over $12 billion worldwide as of 2021. He is best known for the Fast & Furious franchise, the Jump Street and Sonic the Hedgehog films, as well as the television series Prison Break and Emmy-nominated The Boys. His early credits include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend and Cruel Intentions.
Neal H. Moritz | |
|---|---|
 Moritz at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con | |
| Born | June 6, 1959 |
| Alma mater | USC School of Cinematic Arts |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Spouse | Sarah Trimble Moritz |
Life
editNeal H. Moritz was born in Los Angeles, California, to Milton Moritz and Barbara (née Levin). His paternal grandfather, Joseph Moritz, owned movie theaters in Pittsburgh and was an early investor in American International Pictures (AIP). Milton Moritz was born in Pittsburgh and moved to California after falling ill with rheumatic fever at age eight, when his doctor suggested the family move to a better climate. He was head of marketing at AIP and was later CEO and president of the National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada. Moritz is from a Jewish family.[2][3][4][5]
Moritz grew up in Westwood and graduated from UCLA, where he participated in a Semester at Sea program. When he came back, he gave away several backpacks that were popular with Chinese students. He had so many requests for the backpacks that he and a friend began a company importing purses and bags from Taiwan. He sold the company to an investor, and returned to school.[3] He earned a master's degree from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television in 1985. He is a member of the school's Alumni Development Council. As of 2021, Moritz has been married for 20 years and has two children, aged 19 and 16.
Career
editMoritz has more than 70 films to his credit, including Juice starring Tupac Shakur, I Know What You Did Last Summer, the first two films of the Urban Legend franchise, Cruel Intentions, The Skulls, the Fast & Furious franchise, Not Another Teen Movie, the first two films of the XXX film series, being XXX and XXX: State of the Union, S.W.A.T., Evan Almighty, I Am Legend, Made of Honor, Sweet Home Alabama, Total Recall and the Jump Street films, being 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street.
More recent credits include Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Spenser Confidential, Bloodshot, Escape Room, Goosebumps and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.
He has also produced the television series The Boys, S.W.A.T., Preacher, Happy, Prison Break, and The Big Break.
In September 2017, Moritz and Original Film signed a first-look deal for Paramount Pictures that began on January 1, 2019, leaving his longtime home, Sony Pictures, after over 20 years. However, he still maintains his overall deal at Sony Pictures Television.
In October 2018, Moritz filed a lawsuit against Universal Pictures in Los Angeles County Superior Court for breach of oral contract and committing promissory fraud after the distributor removed him as lead producer on Hobbs & Shaw. On September 2, 2020, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District filed a published opinion affirming the trial court's denial of Universal's motion to compel arbitration of Moritz's claims.[6] On September 10, 2020, it was reported that the parties had reached an amicable settlement.[7] Moritz went on to receive producer credit for the 2021 film F9 and the 2023 film Fast X.
Filmography
editHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
editNBCUniversal
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Skulls | Rob Cohen | Under Universal Pictures |
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | ||
| 2003 | 2 Fast 2 Furious | John Singleton | |
| 2006 | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Justin Lin | |
| 2007 | Evan Almighty | Tom Shadyac | |
| 2009 | Fast & Furious | Justin Lin | |
| 2011 | Fast Five | ||
| The Change-Up | David Dobkin | ||
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Justin Lin | |
| R.I.P.D. | Robert Schwentke | ||
| 2014 | Search Party | Scot Armstrong | Under Focus World |
| 2015 | Furious 7 | James Wan | Under Universal Pictures |
| 2017 | The Fate of the Furious | F. Gary Gray | |
| 2021 | F9 | Justin Lin | |
| 2023 | Fast X | Louis Leterrier |
Sony Pictures
editParamount Global
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Juice | Ernest R. Dickerson | Under Paramount Pictures |
| 2020 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Jeff Fowler | |
| 2022 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | ||
| 2024 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 |
Lionsgate
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Stoned Age | James Melkonian | Under Trimark Pictures |
| 1999 | Held Up | Steve Rash | |
| 2001 | Soul Survivors | Stephen Carpenter | Under Artisan Entertainment |
| 2011 | The Music Never Stopped | Jim Kohlberg | Under Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions |
| 2018 | Hunter Killer | Donovan Marsh | Under Lionsgate Films and Summit Premiere |
The Walt Disney Studios
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Volcano | Mick Jackson | Under 20th Century Fox |
| 2002 | Sweet Home Alabama | Andy Tennant | Under Touchstone Pictures |
| 2019 | The Art of Racing in the Rain | Simon Curtis | Under 20th Century Fox |
| 2022 | The Princess | Le-Van Kiet | Under 20th Century Studios and Hulu |
Warner Bros. Discovery
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Torque | Joseph Kahn | Under Warner Bros. |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | Francis Lawrence | |
| 2013 | Jack the Giant Slayer | Bryan Singer | Under Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema |
Other studios
edit| Year | Film | Director | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Out of Time | Carl Franklin | MGM Distribution Co. |
| 2013 | Dead Man Down | Niels Arden Oplev | FilmDistrict |
| 2020 | Spenser Confidential | Peter Berg | Netflix |
| TBA | Afterburn | J.J. Perry | Black Bear Pictures |
| Shadow Run | Cédric Jimenez | Solstice Studios[8] |
Direct-to-video
edit- Cruel Intentions 2 (2000)
- The Skulls II (2002) (Executive producer)
- The Skulls III (2004)
- Cruel Intentions 3 (2004)
- Devour (2005)
- I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)
- S.W.A.T.: Firefight (2011)
- S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017)
Television
editAll works, he was executive producer unless otherwise noted
- Shasta McNasty (1999)
- Still Life (2003)
- Greg the Bunny (2002–04)
- Tru Calling (2003–05)
- Point Pleasant (2005–06)
- The Big C (2010–13)
- Save Me (2013)
- Prison Break (2005–17)
- Happy! (2017–19)
- The Boys (2019–present)
- Fast & Furious Spy Racers (2019–2021)
- Preacher (2016–19)
- S.W.A.T. (2017–present)
- I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
- The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022)
- Gen V (2023–present)
- Goosebumps (2023–present)
- Knuckles (2024)
Pilots
- Mr. Ed (2004)
- Untitled Dave Caplan pilot (2008)
- Cruel Intentions (2016)
- Roadside Picnic (2017)
TV movies
- Framed (1990)
- Blind Justice (1994)
- The Rat Pack (1998)
- Monster! (1999)
- Cabin by the Lake (2000)
- Hendrix (2000)
- Electra's Guy (2000)
- Class Warfare (2001)
- Return to Cabin by the Lake (2001)
- Shotgun Love Dolls (2001)
- The Pool at Maddy Breaker's (2003)
- Vegas Dick (2003)
- Not Another High School Show (2007)
- SIS (2008)
- Prison Break: The Final Break (2009)
Other credits
editActing roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Ferrari Driver |
| 2003 | 2 Fast 2 Furious | Swerving Cop |
| S.W.A.T. | Luxury Car Driver |
Special thanks
- My Trip to the Dark Side (2011)
References
edit- ^ "Neal H Moritz, Born 06/06/1959 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org.
- ^ Shollar, Masha (August 3, 2016). "Native son recalls hand in 'Golden Age' of B movies". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ a b "'B.S. Pod': The History of the 'Fast & Furious' Franchise With Neal Moritz". The Ringer. April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "Neal Moritz, a producer with his finger on the pulse of the populace". Los Angeles Times. March 14, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (March 9, 1999). "Moritz Makes His 'Intentionsxxx' Clear". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ Cullins, Ashley (September 3, 2020). "'Fast & Furious' Spinoff Fight to Remain in L.A. Court". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (September 10, 2020). "Universal & 'Fast & Furious' Producer Neal Moritz Settle 'Hobbs & Shaw' Legal Drag Race". Deadline.com.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 30, 2020). "Solstice Studios & Original Film Team For Action Thriller 'Shadow Run'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
External links
edit