Ruben Fleischer
Birthdate: October 31, 1974 (51 Years Old)
Birthplace: Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Ruben Fleischer (birthname: Ruben Samuel Fleischer) is a director of several successful movie fusions of horror and comedy, starting with hit feature directorial debut, Zombieland (2009), starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and Bill Murray, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, produced by Columbia Pictures/Relativity Media and released by Sony Pictures Releasing for a robust $102.4 million gross, spawning the Columbia/Sony sequel that Fleischer directed a decade later, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), reuniting the original cast, with Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch, and which outgrossed the original with a $125 million box office return.
Fleischer directed Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Michael Peña, and Fred Ward in the action comedy, 30 Minutes or Less (2011), produced in part by Ben Stiller via Columbia Pictures/Media Rights Capital/Red Hour Productions and grossing over $40 million for Sony Pictures Releasing. Fleischer was director/executive producer of the Los Angeles 1949-set crime drama, Gangster Squad (2013), starring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick and Michael Pena, adapted by Will Beall from Paul Lieberman’s non-fiction book about the LAPD battle against gangster Mickey Cohen and grossing over $105 million for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Ruben Fleischer was director of his first MCU movie, the Spider-Man Universe franchise starter, Venom (2018), starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze and Reid Scott, produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal via Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, and delivering a knockout gross of over $856 million for Sony Pictures Releasing, spawning two sequels, one of which—Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Fleischer received an executive producer credit. Fleischer reunited with producer Arad and Columbia Pictures to direct (and take an executive producer credit on) the long-delayed feature version of the video game developed Naughty Dog, Uncharted (2022), starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle, and after a troubled production hit with COVID-19 and a two-year delay in release, the movie grossed a strong $407 million return for Sony Pictures Releasing.
Fleischer reunited with co-stars Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson as director of the third entry in the Now You See Me franchise, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025), with the ensemble of Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, Rosamund Pike and Morgan Freeman, produced by Summit Entertainment/Secret Hideout, and released wide by Lionsgate.
Fleischer has received an executive producer credit on director/producer/star Clint Eastwood’s drama, The Mule (2018), and was a producer on the Max Nichols-directed rom-com Two Night Stand (2014), co-starring Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton; the Brie Larson-directed comedy, Unicorn Store (2017), streaming on Netflix; and director/co-writer Kitao Sakurai’s comedy, Bad Trip (2021), with star/co-writer/producer Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, and Tiffany Haddish.
Personal life
Ruben Fleischer was born and raised in Washington, D.C., by parents, Karen and David (Mayo Clinic physician and Professor of Medicine). Fleischer has a brother, Lucas. Fleischer was raised in Reform Judaism. Fleischer graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in History. Fleischer has been married to producer Holly Shakoor Fleischer since 2012.
Ruben Fleischer Movies
Director
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Previous (4)
- 2022 |
- 2019 |
Zombieland: Double Tap
Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.
- 2018 |
- -- | Gangster Squad
Facts About Ruben Fleischer
Life Choices: Ruben Fleischer moved to San Francisco to work as a freelance HTML programmer, though he says he was unsure about his career path until he took the advice of a close friend and fellow Wesleyan alum, Mike Whit,e and landed a job as a production assistant in the offices of the hit TV series, Dawson’s Creek.
Music Video Master: Fleischer carved out a formidable career as a music video director, making videos for such artists as M.I.A., Kid Sister, Gold Chains, Electric Six, Wiley, Bobby Light, The Stands, The Dismemberment Plan and Major Lazer.
