William Brent Bell

Bell was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with writing partner Matthew Peterman, Bell wrote the screenplay Mercury, which was bought by Universal Studios with Gale Anne Hurd producing.{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4854226-1.html |title='Mercury' Rises For Valhalla, Digital Domain |accessdate=January 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071125071132/http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4854226-1.html |archivedate=November 25, 2007 }} Bell and Peterman went on to set up studio projects such as Ignition at Warner Bros. with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn producing and Illusion at Walt Disney Pictures.http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?person_id=45236{{dead link|date=March 2016}} The duo created several one-hour TV series including Eye to Eye with Warner Bros. Television and McG, Worthy and McGraw with ABC Television and Tim Minear as well as The Fix with Sarah Timberman and Sony Television. Bell and Peterman have also developed a number of videogames including Master Thief, with John Woo.{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/William_Brent_Bell/1741945#|title=William Brent Bell|work=Hollywood.com|accessdate=March 29, 2016}}

Bell's first horror project was as co-writer and director of Stay Alive, produced with McG and Peter Schlessel and financed by Spyglass Entertainment and Endgame Entertainment. Stay Alive was distributed domestically by Buena Vista Pictures and internationally by Universal Pictures. His second horror film was The Devil Inside, also written with Matt Peterman. Produced by Peterman and Morris Paulson, the film stars Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth, and Suzan Crowley, and was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures. The film topped the US box office on its opening weekend, becoming a record-breaking commercial success and grossing over $100 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2015/07/28/most-profitable-films-134863/|title=What are the most profitable films of the last 5 years?|last=Heath|first=Paul|date=July 28, 2015|work=The Hollywood News|accessdate=March 29, 2016}}

In 2013, Bell went into production on his third horror film, Wer{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17765|title='Stay Alive' Duo Reteam for Doc-Style 'The Devil Inside'|publisher=BloodyDisgusting|date=October 19, 2009}} which was released by Focus Features. Nav Qateel of Influx Magazine called Wer, "the best Werewolf film I've seen in years, or perhaps, ever."{{cite web|url=http://influxmagazine.com/wer/|title=Influx Magazine Wer Review|first=Nav|last=Qateel|work=influxmagazine.com|access-date=September 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002051637/http://influxmagazine.com/wer/|archive-date=October 2, 2016|url-status=dead}} Epic Horror Review wrote, "Wer not only redefines the werewolf movie but also saves it."{{cite web|url=http://epichorrorblog.blogspot.com/search?q=wer/|title=Epic Horror Review Wer |work=epichorrorblog.blogspot.com|date=May 31, 2014 }} Wer would go on to be described by horrornews.net as, "One of the best films I've seen so far this year and a must to watch."{{cite web|url=https://horrornews.net/84791/film-review-wer-2014/|title=Film Review: Wer (2014)|work=horrornews.net|date=June 26, 2015 }} and "a film that you want to not only watch but add to your collection" by wickedchannel.com {{cite web|url=http://wickedchannel.com/2014/05/horror-review-wer-2013/|title=Horror Review: Wer|date=May 5, 2014}}

In 2014, Bell sold his pilot Posthuman to USA Network and Universal Cable Productions with Jason Blum producing. In 2015, Bell set up a series at Fox entitled Haunted with Chris Morgan of the Fast & Furious franchise. This 20th Century Fox Television production was loosely based on The Demon of Brownsville Road: A Pittsburgh Family's Battle with Evil.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/11/haunted-horror-drama-chris-morgan-fox-1201630437/|title='Haunted' Horror Drama Produced By Chris Morgan In Works At Fox|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|work=Deadline|date=November 19, 2015 |accessdate=March 29, 2016}}

In 2015, Bell would direct The Boy, which Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi produced through Lakeshore Entertainment, along with Matt Berenson, Jim Wedaa, and Roy Lee. The script was written by Stacey Menear and starred Lauren Cohan, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, Rupert Evans, and James Russell. STX Entertainment released The Boy on January 22, 2016, and it went on to gross a worldwide total of $77 million, against a budget of just $8 million.{{cite web| url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr1478316549/|work=boxofficemojo.com|title=The Boy 2016 Re-release }} Chris Alexander of ShockTilYouDrop called it "one of the best contemporary wide release horror movies I've seen in years."{{cite web| url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/reviews/395615-review-boy-atmospheric-wildly-gothic-gem/|title=The Boy is an Atmospheric, Wildly Gothic Gem|first=Chris|last=Alexander |date=January 23, 2016|work=shocktilyoudrop.com}} Joe Leydon criticized the story line as average in Variety and commented, "Despite game efforts by the cast, this tepid horror opus is never scary enough to overcome its silly premise."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-boy-review-1201685160/|title='The Boy' Review: A Tepid Horror Movie |first=Joe |last= Leydon| work= Variety.com|date=January 22, 2016 }} In 2017, GQ Magazine called the film, "the most underrated horror movie of 2016."{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/the-boy-showtime-underrated-horror-movie/|title=This Week, Watch The Most Underrated Horror Movie of 2016|first=Tom|last=Phillip |date=May 31, 2017|work=gq.com}}

In 2019 Bell directed the sequel Brahms: The Boy II, starring Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, Christopher Convery and Owain Yeoman. It was written by Stacey Menear and released on February 21, 2020. Later that year, Bell directed and produced Separation, an American horror film, from a screenplay by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun, starring Rupert Friend, Violet McGraw, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer and Brian Cox. In March 2021, Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment released the film on April 30, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/separation-open-road-april-23-wide-release-brian-cox-rupert-friend-william-brent-bell-horror-film-rupert-friend-1234703965/|title=Open Road & Briarcliff Land 'Separation', Set April Wide Release For William Brent Bell-Helmed Horror Film With Brian Cox & Rupert Friend|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=March 1, 2021|accessdate=March 1, 2021}}

In 2021, Bell directed Orphan: First Kill from a screenplay by David Coggeshall. It is a prequel to the 2009 film Orphan. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick serves as executive producer. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role as Esther, with Julia Stiles also starring. In September 2021, Paramount Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film,{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/paramount-picks-up-horror-movie-orphan-first-kill-1235010677/|title=Paramount Picks Up Horror Thriller 'Orphan: First Kill' From eOne, Dark Castle (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Borys|last=Kit|date=September 9, 2021|access-date=September 9, 2021}} Orphan: First Kill was released on August 19, by Paramount Players in select theatres, digital, and streaming via Paramount+. {{As of|2022|12|15|df=US}}, the $8 million Orphan: First Kill has grossed a total of $44.5 million worldwide.{{Cite The Numbers |title=Orphan: First Kill (2022) |id=Orphan-First-Kill-(2021) |access-date=September 22, 2022}} On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 72% based on 137 reviews{{cite Rotten Tomatoes |type=movie |id= orphan_first_kill |title=Orphan: First Kill (2022) |access-date=August 25, 2022}}

Bell's latest release is Lord of Misrule, a folk horror film starring Tuppence Middleton, Ralph Ineson, and Matt Stokoe.{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/tuppence-middleton-ralph-ineson-horror-lord-misrule-1234861645/|title=Tuppence Middleton & Ralph Ineson Set For Folk Horror 'Lord Of Misrule' From 'The Boy' Director William Brent Bell; Filming Underway In UK|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=October 25, 2021}} Lord of Misrule was released by Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing in select theatres, digital, and streaming via Hulu. The film currently holds an approval rating of 63% with an audience rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes{{cite Rotten Tomatoes |type=movie |id= lord_of_misrule |title=Lord of Misrule (2023) |access-date=December 8, 2023}} Lord of Misrule was included on the Hollywood Reporter list of "Best Horror Films of 2023."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/best-horror-movies-of-2023-1235766102/|title=The Best Horror Movies of 2023|first=Richard|last=Newby |date=December 21, 2023|work=hollywoodreporter.com}}

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Category:20th-century American screenwriters

Category:21st-century American screenwriters

Category:American television producers

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:Living people

Category:American male television writers

Category:American television writers

Category:Writers from Lexington, Kentucky

Category:Film directors from Kentucky

Category:Screenwriters from Kentucky

Category:Film producers from Kentucky

Category:American horror film directors

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)