Matt Reeves

Birthday: 27 April 1966, Rockville Center, New York, USA

Birth Name: Matthew George Reeves

Height: 173 cm

Born on April 27, 1966, Matthew Reeves is a writer, director and producer, known for his directorial work on Cloverfield (2008), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War of the Planet of the Apes (2017). Reeves was born in in Rockville Center, New York and was childhood friends with director J.J.Abrams. Following his studies at the University of Southern California, he landed his breakout role as director of Cloverfield in 2008 which was produced by his long time friend, Abrams. Reeves later went on to direct Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 and is set to return as director for the third installment in the franchise, War of the Planet of the Apes in 2017. Show less «

There's something about seeing a movie that you like, and being able to see the scenes that didn't m...Show more »

There's something about seeing a movie that you like, and being able to see the scenes that didn't make it, just as a window into the process of how choices are made and how a movie is made. To me, the idea of getting to have the scenes on the DVD is very exciting. Show less «

I remember watching the Blu-ray, and also when they first released it on DVD in the collection of al...Show more »

I remember watching the Blu-ray, and also when they first released it on DVD in the collection of all three movies of 'The Godfather,' and seeing all of those scenes that they cut out, and there wasn't a single one of them that I wished they had kept it, but they were the most exciting thing to watch anyway. Show less «

I never would have guessed I would be making science fiction and horror films.

As a kid, I was always mistaken for a girl. Before you reach that age where your sexuality starts to...Show more »

As a kid, I was always mistaken for a girl. Before you reach that age where your sexuality starts to display itself, kids can look very androgynous, and I guess I leaned more toward the feminine. All those things were very hard, growing up, because you're trying to create an identity, and you're feeling shameful about the one that you're making. Show less «

I discovered the fun of genre is... you get to explore your fears, and you get to use the metaphor o...Show more »

I discovered the fun of genre is... you get to explore your fears, and you get to use the metaphor of the genre - whether it's a giant monster or a... 12-year-old vampire. Whatever it is, you can sink something underneath the surface and make a personal film under the guise of great fun romp. Show less «

Really interesting genre films, especially monster movies, evoke the fears of the times intentionall...Show more »

Really interesting genre films, especially monster movies, evoke the fears of the times intentionally. Show less «

I'm always looking for a reason to say no when I'm approached about a big studio tentpole because yo...Show more »

I'm always looking for a reason to say no when I'm approached about a big studio tentpole because your fear is will you be consumed into the anonymous machine, and it will suck out any specificity and point of view that you might hope to express. Show less «

When we were all kids, there was one particular trailer that I think we can all remember. That was t...Show more »

When we were all kids, there was one particular trailer that I think we can all remember. That was the trailer for 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' There was an amazing teaser trailer with all this weird kind of documentary footage. We were like, 'What was that! I've got to see that! What the hell was that?' Show less «

It's the idea that anticipation is as scary as anything in a movie could be. People's imagination is...Show more »

It's the idea that anticipation is as scary as anything in a movie could be. People's imagination is the most effective tool in creating terror or dread. Show less «

I thought this was the most incredible opportunity. Because 'Planet Of The Apes,' aside from the fan...Show more »

I thought this was the most incredible opportunity. Because 'Planet Of The Apes,' aside from the fantasy element of talking apes, is such an amazing franchise, because under the surface of that genre, you're actually looking at human nature. Show less «

I was obsessed with movies, and it ended up being the tool with which I could make friends. Because ...Show more »

I was obsessed with movies, and it ended up being the tool with which I could make friends. Because I was too painfully shy in other circumstances, I would say, 'Hey, do you want to make a movie?' And that's how I made friends, and it was also my escape. Show less «

It's funny, people don't think of 'Cloverfield' as being restrained because it's a handycam movie, b...Show more »

It's funny, people don't think of 'Cloverfield' as being restrained because it's a handycam movie, but the only reason it's a handycam movie is because that was supposed to be the reality of the situation. Show less «

[on taking over as director of The Batman] I have loved the Batman story since I was a child. He is ...Show more »

[on taking over as director of The Batman] I have loved the Batman story since I was a child. He is such an iconic and compelling character, and one that resonates with me deeply. I am incredibly honored and excited to be working with Warner Bros. to bring an epic and emotional new take on the Caped Crusader to the big screen Show less «

There's tremendous shame with being bullied. I think there's a level at which you think that there's...Show more »

There's tremendous shame with being bullied. I think there's a level at which you think that there's a reason that you're being singled out, that you're being chosen. Show less «

In a weird way, if you look at all the 'Apes' movies, they all seem like different stories in the sa...Show more »

In a weird way, if you look at all the 'Apes' movies, they all seem like different stories in the same universe. 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' is definitely a continuation, but the other ones jump all around chronologically. Show less «

I'm a first-time father, and it was amazing to me to learn that my son could actually use sign langu...Show more »

I'm a first-time father, and it was amazing to me to learn that my son could actually use sign language before the spoken word. I could see this intelligence in his eyes before he could speak: how he could understand what was going on around him and was frustrated by that. Show less «

'Avatar' was incredible and totally groundbreaking, but it wasn't about utter realism. It had a grea...Show more »

'Avatar' was incredible and totally groundbreaking, but it wasn't about utter realism. It had a great mythic fantasy to it, but the characters don't seem totally photo-real, as amazing as they are. Show less «

It's crazy when you think about the 'Apes' franchise and how dark all of the endings are and how dar...Show more »

It's crazy when you think about the 'Apes' franchise and how dark all of the endings are and how dark the movies are, and yet there's something very pleasurable about these movies. It really comes down to the potency of this idea, of seeing intelligent apes. Show less «

When you think of the 'Exorcist,' you think of Linda Blair and pea soup and all this madness, but re...Show more »

When you think of the 'Exorcist,' you think of Linda Blair and pea soup and all this madness, but really if you look at the first half of that film, the stuff between her and Ellen Burstyn is so naturalistic and so real. Show less «

Really interesting genre films, especially monster movies, evoke the fears of the times intentionall...Show more »

Really interesting genre films, especially monster movies, evoke the fears of the times intentionally. Our starting point was Godzilla - the original movie was released less than 10 years after Hiroshima, and it's a classic in Japan. It came out at the same time as Seven Samurai and is held in equal regard. Yet it was definitely a metaphor for the anxiety of those times, about the fears after Hiroshima and the knowledge that we now had the ability to destroy the world. To give that the form of a giant monster - that was an effective way of exploring that fear. Show less «

People's imagination is the most effective tool in creating terror or dread.

I wanted to explore the possibility that this could have become 'Planet of the Humans and the Apes' ...Show more »

I wanted to explore the possibility that this could have become 'Planet of the Humans and the Apes' instead of just 'Planet of the Apes,' so I wanted there to be this hope of connection as well as this inexorable pull towards what we know the series becomes. Show less «

Matt Reeves

Matt Reeves's FILMOGRAPHY

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