Vincenzo Natali
{{Short description|Canadian filmmaker (born 1969)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Vincenzo Natali
| image = Vincenzo Natali at WonderCon 2010 5.JPG
| imagesize =
| caption = Natali at the 2010 ComicCon
| birth_date = {{bya|1969}}
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
| nationality = Canadian
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter
| years_active = 1997–present
}}
Vincenzo Natali (born 1969) is an American-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, known for writing and directing science fiction and horror films such as Cube, Cypher, Nothing, and Splice.
Early life and education
Natali was born in Detroit, to a nursery school teacher/painter mother and a photographer father.{{cite book|last=Jarecki|first=Nicholas|title=Breaking in: how 20 film directors got their start|publisher=Random House of Canada|year=2001|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780767906746/page/75 75]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780767906746/page/75|isbn=0-7679-0674-8|url-access=registration}} He is of Italian and English descent. He moved to Toronto, along with his family, at the age of one. During his time at Royal St. George's College, Natali befriended British-born Canadian actor David Hewlett, who has appeared in the majority of films that Natali has directed. Natali also attended the film programme at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. He was eventually hired as a storyboard artist at the Nelvana Animation Studios.[http://www.northernstars.ca/directorsmz/natali_vincenzo.html Northern Stars: Vincenzo Natali] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805205318/http://www.northernstars.ca/directorsmz/natali_vincenzo.html |date=2007-08-05 }} His cinematic influences included Samuel Beckett, David Cronenberg,{{cite web|last=Riser|first=Troy|title=Interview: Vincenzo Natali: Turtles All The Way Down|url=http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=3706|work=the-trades.com|publisher=The Trades|access-date=10 April 2011|date=21 October 2005|quote=There really weren't too many touchstones, literary or otherwise. Except Beckett. We do owe a small debt to the Theatre of the Absurd." "Yes. He's a huge influence. But we're very different kinds of directors.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515093217/http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=3706|archive-date=15 May 2013}} and Terry Gilliam.{{cite web|last=Stubbs|first=Phil|title=Vincenzo Natali on the making of Tideland|url=https://www.gilliamdreams.com/tidevnat.htm|work=gilliamdreams.com|publisher=Dreams – The Terry Gilliam Fanzine|access-date=10 April 2011|year=2005|quote=Yes I have a new film called Nothing - which is a title that causes endless confusion. It was just released in Canada a few months ago. If there is a single film that I've done that owes a real debt to Terry, that's it actually.}}
Career
Natali's directing debut came in 1997, when he directed Cube which he also co-wrote.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=Cube (1997) FILM REVIEW; No Maps, Compasses Or Faith|first=Anita|last=Gates|date=September 11, 1998|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9801EFD61E3EF932A2575AC0A96E958260}} The film became a success worldwide, especially in Japan and France, grossing over $10 million in the latter country,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106271556 |title=Canadian small film a huge hit in France |newspaper=The Leader-Post |page=23 |date=5 July 1999 |access-date=6 December 2023 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416233805/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106271556/the-leader-post/ |url-status=live}} and breaking box office records for a Canadian film. At the 19th Genie Awards, the film received five nominations, and also won the award for Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. After this success, Natali went on to direct Cypher (2002) and Nothing (2003).{{cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18828|title=Sundance '10: Vincenzo Natali Talks 'Splice' With BD|date=25 January 2010|publisher=BloodyDisgusting}}
Following the June 2010 release of Splice (2009),{{cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18763|title=Vincenzo Natali on Potential 'Splice' Sequels|date=19 January 2010}} Natali's next efforts were expected to be an adaptation of J. G. Ballard's 1975 novel High Rise{{cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18754|title=Vincenzo Natali Constructs Terror on 'High Rise'|date=19 January 2010}} and a 3D adaptation of the Len Wein/Berni Wrightson comic book character Swamp Thing,{{cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19751|title=Vincenzo Natali Talks Dark Desires to Bring 'Swamp Thing' Back to the Big Screen|date=8 April 2010}} for producer Joel Silver.{{cite web|url=http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/04/07/splice-alan-moore-swamp-thing-movie|title='Splice' Director Wants To Adapt Alan Moore's Swamp Thing Stories|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410024654/http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/04/07/splice-alan-moore-swamp-thing-movie/|archive-date=2010-04-10}} A May 2010 item in The Hollywood Reporter, however, announced that Natali was to replace Joseph Kahn as director of the highly anticipated adaptation of cyberpunk author William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer.{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37953/natali-confirmed-neuromancer|title=Natali Confirmed for Neuromancer|date=October 2012}}
Natali was nominated for the 4th Annual Splatcademy Awards under the category "Best Director" presented by Cadaver Lab for his work Splice.{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/41447/vote-4th-annual-splatcademy-awards|title=Vote for the 4th Annual Splatcademy Awards|date=14 December 2010|access-date=19 February 2020|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222044720/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/41447/vote-4th-annual-splatcademy-awards|url-status=dead}} In 2013 his series Darknet, an adaptation of the Japanese series Tori Hada, began airing on Super Channel in Canada. In 2014, he directed the episodes "Su-zakana" and "Naka-choko" of the second season of the crime drama series Hannibal and in 2015 the episodes "Antipasto", "Primavera" and "Secondo" of the third season of the same TV series.[https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/94166/bryan-fuller-gives-the-scoop-on-hannibal-season-3/ Bryan Fuller Gives the Scoop on Hannibal Season 3] in 2015, he also directed the second episode (entitled "Simon") of the first season of the American supernatural drama television series The Returned. In 2016, he directed the fourth episode ("Dissonance Theory") of the HBO series Westworld. In 2017, he directed the fifth episode ("Lemon Scented You") of the Starz series American Gods.
He directed a pilot for a new Tremors TV series starring Kevin Bacon reprising his role from the 1990 film but it was not picked up by SyFy as a series.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/tremors-reboot-pilot-dead-kevin-bacon-star-syfy-1202378796/|title = 'Tremors' Reboot Pilot Starring Kevin Bacon Not Going Forward at SyFy|date = 28 April 2018}}
A television adaptation of William Gibson's The Peripheral was put into development in April 2018 by Amazon,{{Citation |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=November 13, 2019 |title='Westworld' Creators' Futuristic Drama 'The Peripheral' Gets Amazon Pickup |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/westworld-creators-futuristic-drama-peripheral-gets-amazon-pickup-1254417 |access-date=November 15, 2019 }} with Natali among the executive producers.{{Citation |last=Fingas |first=Jon |date=November 11, 2019 |title=Amazon orders William Gibson series from the creators of 'Westworld' |publisher=Engadget |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/13/amazon-william-gibson-the-peripheral-series/ |access-date=November 15, 2019 }} Natali directed the show's pilot, plus three other episodes of the first season.{{Citation |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=November 13, 2019 |title=Amazon Greenlights Sci-Fi Series 'The Peripheral' From 'Westworld' Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy |publisher=The Wrap |url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-peripheral-amazon-series-westworld-jonathan-nolan-lisa-joy/ |access-date=November 15, 2019 }}
He has directed the last 2 episodes of the first season for the Locke & Key TV series, distributed by Netflix.
In 2024, he was awarded the Trailblazer Award at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival.{{cite web |last=Foreman |first=Alison |title=Fantasia Fest 2024 Announces Its Stellar Final Lineup with 'Ababouiné', 'In Our Blood', and More |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/festivals/2024-fantasia-fest-lineup-1235022587/ |website=Indiewire |date=3 July 2024 |access-date=21 August 2024}}
Filmography
=Short film=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#B0C4DE; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Title ! Director ! Writer ! Notes |
| 1996
| Elevated | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |
| 2006
| Quartier de la Madeleine | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Segment of Paris, je t'aime |
| 2014
| U is for Utopia | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Segment of ABCs of Death 2 |
Executive producer
- Eyes on the Road (2006)
- Cube (2021)
=Feature film=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#B0C4DE; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Title ! Director ! Writer |
| 1997
|Cube | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2002
| {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |
| 2003
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |
| 2009
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2011
| {{no}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} |
| 2013
| {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} |
| 2018
| {{no}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} |
| 2019
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |
=Documentary=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#B0C4DE; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Title ! Notes |
| 2005
|Getting Gilliam |Documentary on the making of Terry Gilliam's Tideland |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#B0C4DE; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Title ! Episode |
| 1996
| "The Sporting Kind" |
| 1998
| PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | "Pentimento" |
| 1998–1999
| "Payback" |
| 2013
| Darknet | Episode 1 , also executive producer |
| 2014–2015
| Hannibal | "Su-zakana" |
| rowspan=2|2014
| "Gone Sis" |
| Ascension
| "Chapter Two: Part 1" |
| rowspan=2|2015
| "Simon" |
| Orphan Black
| "Insolvent Phantom of Tomorrow" |
| 2015–2016
| "Fallen Light" |
| rowspan=2|2016
| "City Upon a Hill" |
| Luke Cage |
| 2016–2018
| "Dissonance Theory" |
| 2017 |
| 2018
| "Eulogy" |
| rowspan=2|2020
| "Echoes" |
| The Stand
| "The Walk" |
| rowspan=2| 2022 |
| The Peripheral
| "Pilot", also executive producer |
| 2026
| Filming |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|0622112}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100608151712/http://daily.greencine.com/archives/007825.html Podcast interview with Vincenzo Natali about Splice (daily.greencine.com)]
{{Vincenzo Natali}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natali, Vincenzo}}
Category:20th-century Canadian screenwriters
Category:20th-century Canadian male writers
Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters
Category:21st-century Canadian male writers
Category:Canadian male screenwriters
Category:English-language film directors
Category:Toronto Metropolitan University alumni
Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada
Category:Canadian people of Italian descent
Category:Canadian people of English descent
Category:Canadian storyboard artists
Category:American emigrants to Canada
Category:Canadian horror film directors
Category:American science fiction film directors
Category:Canadian science fiction film directors
Category:Film directors from Michigan
Category:Film directors from Toronto