Josh Trank

Josh Trank was born in Los Angeles to school teacher Pamela Trank and documentary filmmaker Richard Trank. His father produced the Academy Award winning documentary The Long Way Home.{{Cite web |last=Reed, Becky |date=February 12, 2012 |title=Q&a: Chronicle Director Josh Trank |work=DIY |url=https://diymag.com/archive/qa-chronicle-director-josh-trank |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190013/http://diymag.com/archive/qa-chronicle-director-josh-trank |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |publisher=DIY}} Trank also has a younger sister and is Jewish. He spent much of his childhood scanning Hollywood and enjoying the sights it had to offer. When Trank was 13, his parents divorced and later his father remarried to comedian Judy Toll, who later died from skin cancer. He was initially uncomfortable with her, but they ultimately bonded when Toll pushed him into entertainment when she invited him to perform with The Groundlings. "[The] experience, changed me...I think about her still, like, every day, and I miss her tremendously."{{Cite web |last=Patches |first=Matt |date=May 5, 2020 |title=The post-disaster artist |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/5/21246679/josh-trank-capone-interview-fantastic-four-chronicle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505224500/https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/5/21246679/josh-trank-capone-interview-fantastic-four-chronicle |archive-date=May 5, 2020 |access-date=May 6, 2020 |website=Polygon}} In 2002, Trank graduated from Beverly Hills High School.

In 2020, he revealed that he had been sexually abused several times when he was between five and six years old, which later in life gave him problems like anger issues, before he began therapy.{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJGcfazpwLg&t=804s |title=EXCLUSIVE! Josh Trank Interview! 1 on 1 with Kristian Harloff |website=YouTube |date=May 11, 2020 |access-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819172609/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJGcfazpwLg&t=804s |url-status=live }}

During an interview with Kevin Smith on the podcast Fatman on Batman, Trank discussed the origins of his career at length. He attributed his YouTube video "Stabbing at Leia's 22nd Birthday", which became very popular overnight after its release,{{cn|date=June 2024}} as a significant breakthrough point for his career. Following this, Trank wrote and directed spin-off webisodes for the 2007 Spike TV drama miniseries The Kill Point. In 2009, Trank edited the independent film Big Fan, starring Patton Oswalt. He was also credited as a co-producer and had a small acting role in the film.

In 2011, Trank directed his first feature film, Chronicle.{{Cite web |title=Q&A: Josh Trank, Director Of 'Chronicle' On The Origins of the Film, And More |url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/Alison_Caraotta/2012/01/31/qa_josh_trank_director_of_chronicle_on |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206050437/http://www.starpulse.com/news/Alison_Caraotta/2012/01/31/qa_josh_trank_director_of_chronicle_on |archive-date=February 6, 2012 |access-date=February 1, 2012 |website=Starpulse.com}} It was released on February 3, 2012, by 20th Century Fox and grossed over $125 million worldwide.{{Cite web |title=Chronicle's Box office |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=chronicle2012.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711084402/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=chronicle2012.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2019 |access-date=April 17, 2020}} Chronicle, made for a budget of $12 million, was received positively by critics, earning an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes.{{Cite web |title=Chronicle on Rotten Tomatoes (2012) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=February 3, 2012 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicle/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531105334/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicle |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2020}} With the release of Chronicle, Trank became the youngest director to open a film at number one at the US box office, at age 27.{{Cite news |last=Gant |first=Charles |date=February 7, 2012 |title=Chronicle makes a new UK box office record |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/feb/07/chronicle-record-uk-box-office |url-status=live |access-date=May 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142553/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/feb/07/chronicle-record-uk-box-office |archive-date=June 12, 2018}} He is followed by Steven Spielberg (28, with Jaws) and James Cameron (30, with The Terminator).{{Cite web |title=Weekend Box Office (February 3–5, 2012) |url=http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205205907/http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm |archive-date=February 5, 2012 |access-date=February 5, 2012 |publisher=Boxofficeguru.com}} After the release of Chronicle, Trank was linked to Sony's Spider-Man spin-off Venom,{{Cite web |title=Chronicle's Josh Trank Looks to Spit Some Venom |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/03/chronicle-josh-trank-spider-man-venom-topher-grace-marvel.html/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307080723/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/03/chronicle-josh-trank-spider-man-venom-topher-grace-marvel.html |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2012 |work=Los Angeles Times}} Warner Bros.'s The Red Star,{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike |title='Chronicle' Helmer Josh Trank Lands On 'The Red Star' At Warner Bros |url=https://deadline.com/2012/03/chronicle-helmer-josh-trank-lands-on-the-red-star-at-warner-bros-246346/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304083147/http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/chronicle-helmer-josh-trank-lands-on-the-red-star-at-warner-bros/ |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=June 4, 2014 |website=Deadline Hollywood|date=March 20, 2012 }} and Sony's film adaptation of the video game Shadow of the Colossus;{{Cite web |title=Chronicle Director to Make Shadow of The Colossus Movie |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/23/chronicle-director-to-make-shadow-of-the-colossus-movie/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525185751/http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/23/chronicle-director-to-make-shadow-of-the-colossus-movie |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |access-date=May 23, 2012 |website=IGN.com|date=May 23, 2012 }} however, Trank turned down those film projects, despite turning in a pitch of a R-rated film of Venom in the vein of The Mask that he wrote with his mentor Robert D. Siegel.{{Cite web |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=December 13, 2013 |title=Sony Sets Spider-Man Spinoffs 'Venom,' 'Sinister Six' With New "Franchise Brain Trust" |url=https://deadline.com/2013/12/spider-man-spinoffs-sony-marc-webb-alex-kurtzman-roberto-orci-jeff-pinkner-ed-solomon-drew-goddard-651848/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215054547/http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/spider-man-spinoffs-sony-marc-webb-alex-kurtzman-roberto-orci-jeff-pinkner-ed-solomon-drew-goddard/ |archive-date=December 15, 2013 |access-date=December 14, 2013 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}{{Cite web |last=Kroll, Justin |date=September 4, 2014 |title=Andrés Muschietti to Direct 'Shadow of the Colossus' Adaptation for Sony |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/andres-muschietti-to-direct-shadow-of-the-colossus-for-sony-1201297802/# |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908003645/http://variety.com/2014/film/news/andres-muschietti-to-direct-shadow-of-the-colossus-for-sony-1201297802/ |archive-date=September 8, 2014 |access-date=September 4, 2014 |website=Variety}}{{Cite web |last=Wilding, Josh |date=September 4, 2014 |title=Mama Director Andrés Muschietti to Helm Video Game Adaptation Shadow of the Colossus |url=http://www.heyuguys.com/mama-director-andres-muschietti-helm-video-game-adaptation-shadow-colossus/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906210658/http://www.heyuguys.com/mama-director-andres-muschietti-helm-video-game-adaptation-shadow-colossus/ |archive-date=September 6, 2014 |access-date=September 4, 2014 |publisher=HeyUGuys}}

Trank directed the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four,{{Cite web |date=July 11, 2012 |title=Comic-Con: Fox Sets Reboots Of 'Fantastic Four', 'Daredevil' (Minus David Slade), Puts Joe Cornish On 'Rust' |url=https://deadline.com/2012/07/comic-con-fox-sets-fantastic-four-and-daredevil-reboots-and-puts-joe-cornish-on-rust-loses-david-slade-on-daredevil-redo-299098/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906064120/http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/comic-con-fox-sets-fantastic-four-and-daredevil-reboots-and-puts-joe-cornish-on-rust-loses-david-slade-on-daredevil-redo/ |archive-date=September 6, 2012 |access-date=September 11, 2012 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}{{Cite web |date=February 27, 2014 |title=Screenrant |url=https://screenrant.com/mark-millar-fantastic-four-reboot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114030346/http://screenrant.com/mark-millar-fantastic-four-reboot/ |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |access-date=June 4, 2014 |website=Screenrant}} which was released in August 2015. The film flopped at the box office and was critically panned; it received a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes{{Cite web |title=Fantastic Four (2015) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fantastic_four_2015/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901022151/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fantastic_four_2015 |archive-date=September 1, 2015 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=August 7, 2015 }} and a 27 out of 100 rating from Metacritic.{{Cite web |title=Fantastic Four |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fantastic-four-2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818044650/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/fantastic-four-2015 |archive-date=August 18, 2015 |access-date=August 18, 2015 |website=Metacritic}} Trank became the subject of controversy when he posted and quickly deleted a message on Twitter prior to the release of the film, apparently blaming the poor reviews on changes imposed by the studio, claiming to have originally cut a completely different film which would have been much better.{{Cite magazine |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |date=August 7, 2015 |title=Why did Fantastic Four director Josh Trank slam his own movie? Honesty comes with a high price in Hollywood ... but what is the truth? |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/07/fantastic-four-josh-trank-tweet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423043932/https://ew.com/article/2015/08/07/fantastic-four-josh-trank-tweet/ |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Equally dissatisfied with the final film, actor Toby Kebbell, who worked with Trank on the film, supported Trank's claim.{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Ryan |title=Fantastic Four Actor Says There's a Great Cut We'll Never See |url=http://movieweb.com/fantastic-four-reboot-2015-alternate-cut/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108193850/http://movieweb.com/fantastic-four-reboot-2015-alternate-cut/ |archive-date=January 8, 2017 |access-date=January 7, 2017 |website=Movieweb|date=June 8, 2016 }} However, in early 2020, Trank admitted that there were several scenes he was unable to film, making a director's cut highly improbable.

In June 2014, it was announced that Trank would direct a stand-alone Star Wars film about Boba Fett,{{cite web |last1=Gaughan |first1=Liam |title=What Would Josh Trank's Planned 'Star Wars' Movie Have Looked Like? |url=https://collider.com/josh-trank-star-wars-boba-fett/ |website=Collider |date=February 23, 2023 |access-date=23 February 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Graser |first=Marc |date=June 4, 2014 |title='Chronicle' Director Josh Trank to Helm Standalone 'Star Wars' Movie |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/chronicle-director-josh-trank-to-helm-standalone-star-wars-movie-1201212448/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622172740/http://variety.com/2014/film/news/chronicle-director-josh-trank-to-helm-standalone-star-wars-movie-1201212448/ |archive-date=June 22, 2017 |access-date=December 9, 2017}} but he left the project less than a year later. Trank indicated this was a personal decision, but several outlets stated that he was dismissed from the project due to issues during production of Fantastic Four, primarily a lack of communication with the film's producers, and that Lucasfilm had decided to pursue another director.{{Cite web |title=Inside a 'Star Wars' Firing: 'Fantastic Four' Problems Led to Director Josh Trank's Ouster |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=May 2015 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-a-star-wars-firing-792933 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108100130/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-a-star-wars-firing-792933 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2020}} Trank told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that the reason he left the film was because he wanted to do something original and smaller-scale, due to the amount of online scrutiny he received during the filming of Fantastic Four.{{Cite news |last=Rottenberg |first=Josh |date=June 4, 2015 |title=Josh Trank sets the story straight on why he left 'Star Wars' |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-josh-trank-on-why-he-dropped-out-of-star-wars-20150603-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514171828/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-josh-trank-on-why-he-dropped-out-of-star-wars-20150603-story.html |archive-date=May 14, 2020}}

In 2020, following a five-year hiatus from directing, Trank wrote and directed his original Al Capone biopic Capone, with Tom Hardy starring.{{Cite web |last=McNary |first=Dave |date=October 29, 2016 |title=AFM: Tom Hardy to Star as Al Capone in 'Fonzo' |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/markets-festivals/tom-hardy-al-capone-fonzo-afm-1201904373/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401023731/http://variety.com/2016/film/markets-festivals/tom-hardy-al-capone-fonzo-afm-1201904373/ |archive-date=April 1, 2018 |access-date=December 9, 2017 |website=Variety}} It was released through video on demand on May 12, 2020,{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=April 15, 2020 |title='Capone' Trailer: Tom Hardy and Josh Trank's 'Fonzo' Gets New Title and First Footage |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/capone-trailer-tom-hardy-josh-trank-fonzo-1202225214/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423135902/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/capone-trailer-tom-hardy-josh-trank-fonzo-1202225214/ |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |access-date=April 15, 2020 |website=IndieWire}} receiving mixed reviews from critics.{{Cite web |title=Capone (2020) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/capone_2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513184952/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/capone_2020 |archive-date=May 13, 2020 |access-date=May 12, 2020 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}

In May 2020, it was announced that Trank was developing a television series about the CIA, with Hardy starring.{{Cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |date=May 14, 2020 |title=Josh Trank Says He's Developing a Limited Series About the CIA for Tom Hardy |url=https://collider.com/tom-hardy-josh-trank-cia-limited-series/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623012716/https://collider.com/tom-hardy-josh-trank-cia-limited-series/ |archive-date=June 23, 2020 |access-date=June 20, 2020 |website=Collider |language=en-US}}

In March 2025, it was announced that Trank will be directing a horror-thriller film Send a Scare, with Victoria Justice and Robbie Amell set to star in.{{Cite web |last=Gomez |first=Dessi |date=2025-03-21 |title=Robbie Amell And Victoria Justice To Star In Josh Trank’s ‘Send A Scare’ Horror-Thriller |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/robbie-amell-victoria-justice-send-a-scare-horror-thriller-1236346645/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

Trank has mentioned that he is interested in a deconstruction approach in his movies; "the deconstruction of myth, the deconstruction of iconic figures, the deconstruction of mythic ideas".{{Cite web |last=Vinney |first=Cynthia |date=May 12, 2020 |title=Josh Trank Discusses Capone, and Fantastic Four's Failure |url=https://www.cbr.com/capone-director-josh-trank-interview-fantastic-four/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611062617/https://www.cbr.com/capone-director-josh-trank-interview-fantastic-four/ |archive-date=June 11, 2020 |access-date=May 12, 2020 |website=CBR}}

In early October 2013, he married screenwriter Krystin Ver Linden; they divorced in 2017. He deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts in June 2020.{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2020 |title=Josh Trank Gives Final Word on Fantastic Four, Deletes Social Media Accounts |url=https://www.cbr.com/josh-trank-fights-about-fantastic-four-twitter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907221012/https://www.cbr.com/josh-trank-fights-about-fantastic-four-twitter/ |archive-date=September 7, 2020 |access-date=November 29, 2020 |website=CBR |language=en-US}}

Acting credits

Other credits

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|2503633}}

{{Josh Trank}}

{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director}}

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Category:1984 births

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:American television directors

Category:2015 controversies in the United States

Category:American action film directors

Category:Jewish American screenwriters

Category:Living people

Category:Writers from Los Angeles

Category:Film directors from Los Angeles

Category:Screenwriters from California

Category:American film editors

Category:21st-century American Jews