ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
DAVID S. GOYER (Director) is a filmmaker who has long balanced the world of smartest, hippest and most obscure comic books and otherworldly realms of superheroes and fantastical characters with his passion for telling character-driven stories.
THE INVISIBLE is Goyer’s feature directing follow-up to his success with “Blade: Trinity,” which he directed, wrote and produced. Wesley Snipes returned as the day-walking vampire hunter and joined forces with the Nightstalkers, a clan of human vampire hunters, in an extreme battle in which the trail of blood leads directly to the notorious vampire legend, Dracula. The film also starred Jessica Biel as Abigail, the daughter of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), who inherits the vampire-slaying duties that once belonged to Blade (Snipes), and Ryan Reynolds as Hannibal King, one of the Nightstalkers. New Line released the film in December 2004.
Goyer made his directorial debut with something completely different: “ZigZag,” a fresh, funny, and fiercely poignant account of a robbery in reverse, where two unlikely heroes fight to return a large sum of stolen cash. The film featured stand-out performances from a cast including Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Natasha Lyonne and newcomer Sam Jones III. “ZigZag” was also adapted by Goyer from the acclaimed novel by Landon Napoleon.
Goyer served as director for the pilot of “Threshold.” He served as Executive Producer with David Heyman (“Harry Potter”) and Brannon Braga (“Star Trek: Voyager”) on the show which CBS debuted as an hour-long contemporary sci-fi drama about the government’s response to an alien threat in fall 2005. Paramount Network Television produced.
Goyer’s last feature-film screenwriting credit was as co-writer on Warner Bros.’ acclaimed blockbuster “Batman Begins” with director Christopher Nolan, which explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight’s emergence as a force for good in Gotham.
His upcoming screenwriting credits include co-writer to the sequel to “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight,” which begins shooting in early 2007; “Jumper,” adapted from the Steven Gould novel, with Doug Lyman directing for 20th Century Fox; and the screenplay for Dimension Films’ remake of the 1981 classic sci-fi horror film “Scanners,” where’ in a modern city, a fraction of the population are Scanners who possess powerful telepathic abilities—and a few of them are determined to take control of the world.
Goyer made his big breakout with “Blade,” based on the Marvel comic about a legendary vampire hunter. Starring Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson, the film drew accolades for its unmatched, blazing action and exhilarating humor and became one of Hollywood’s most successful superhero movies ever. “Blade 2,” also written by Goyer (who served as executive producer) and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, featured Snipes again as the vampire-hunter Blade. The film also starred Kris Kristofferson returning as Whistler, Luke Goss, Tcheky Karyo and Ron Perlman.
Ever since he was a kid growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Goyer wanted to write comic books, which eventually led to his bringing them to life for the big screen. Goyer sold his first action script at the age of 22 while still at USC, which became the Jean Claude Van Damme thriller “Death Warrant,” and went on to pen, among others, “Dark City” (named Best Film of 1998 by Roger Ebert).
His love of comic books also led to a four-year stint actually writing one for DC Comics. He co-wrote The Justice Society, one of DC’s biggest hits.
As a producer, he is teaming with producer David Heyman on Here There Be Dragons, a children’s novel by James A. Owen published by Simon & Schuster. The plan is to release six more books, one each October. The book brings together three strangers—John, Jack and Charles—in London during World War I, where they become entrusted with the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. They end up traveling to the Archipelago of Dreams, fighting the dark forces that threaten two worlds. It is later revealed that the three are future fantasy authors J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams, who met in real life at Oxford and enjoyed a competitive friendship. Heyman and Goyer used their own funds to option the project and began developing it as a feature.
Goyer is also producing with Heyman on “Unique,” which is in the works for Disney, and the Vertigo comic “Y: The Last Man,” for New Line, which he is producing with Bender/Spink.
Goyer also most recently was one of the Executive Producers on Sony’s “Ghost Rider,” the blockbuster Marvel Comics film starring Nicolas Cage as the long-ago superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze.
In addition to his several film projects, Goyer recently returned to television as Executive Producer on “Blade,” the television series for Spike TV. As Spike TV’s first original scripted series, the show debuted to positive reviews and strong ratings. The show was produced by New Line Television and starred Kirk “Sticky” Jones (“Over There”) as Blade.
ROGER BIRNBAUM (Producer) founded the production and finance company Spyglass Entertainment with partner Gary Barber, where they share the title of Co-Chairman and CEO. The company develops and finances all of its projects independently.
The company’s box-office successes range from “The Sixth Sense” with Bruce Willis, which earned $661 million in worldwide box office, to the smash hit “Bruce Almighty” starring Jim Carrey, which earned $485 million. Also included in the Spyglass library are Oscar®-nominated favorites such as “Seabiscuit” with Tobey Maguire and “The Insider” with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. In total, Spyglass has cumed over 26 Oscar® nominations, including three wins. Other company successes include “The Count of Monte Cristo” with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, “Keeping the Faith” with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, the dual hits “Shanghai Noon” and its sequel “Shanghai Knights” with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, “The Recruit” with Al Pacino and Colin Farrell, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” starring Sam Rockwell and Mos Def, and the smash family film “The Pacifier” with Vin Diesel.
Spyglass also co-financed and executive produced “The Legend of Zorro,” the sequel to “The Mask of Zorro,” with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas, and director Martin Campbell, and “Memoirs of a Geisha,” the adaptation of the best-selling novel directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”). Both films were released internationally by Spyglass and have grossed over $150 million each in worldwide box office to date. “Memoirs of a Geisha” drew numerous kudos and awards throughout the season, culminating in three Academy Awards®.
Recently, Mr. Birnbaum co-financed and produced the action adventure “Eight Below,” based on the true survival story about a group of sled dogs in Antarctica. The film had strong legs at the box office, with earnings over $120 million worldwide. Spyglass also produced and financed the crime thriller “The Lookout,” helmed by acclaimed writer-turned-first-timedirector Scott Frank. Also ramping up for 2007 release, production wrapped on the live-action feature with Walt Disney Pictures’ “Underdog,” based upon the beloved cartoon series, and the ping-pong comedy “Balls of Fury.” Birnbaum also serves as executive producer for the comedy “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” starring Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman.
Prior to founding Spyglass Entertainment, Mr. Birnbaum co-founded Caravan Pictures, where he was responsible for such box-office hits as “Rush Hour,” “Six Days/Seven Nights,” “Inspector Gadget,” “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Angels in the Outfield” and “While You Were Sleeping.”
Before joining Caravan, Mr. Birnbaum held the title of President of Worldwide Production and Executive Vice President of Twentieth Century Fox, where he developed such films as “Home Alone,” “Sleeping with the Enemy,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Hot Shots,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Die Hard 2” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” among others. Prior to that, Mr. Birnbaum was President of Production for United Artists, where he developed the Oscar®-winning film and all-time cinema favorite “Rain Man.”
Earlier in his career, he produced “The Sure Thing,” directed by Rob Reiner, and “Young Sherlock Holmes,” which were presented in association with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment. For television, he executive produced the telefilms “Scandal Sheet,” “Happily Ever After,” “When Your Lover Leaves” and the award-winning “All the Kids Do It.”
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, and educated at the University of Denver, Mr. Birnbaum built a successful career as Vice President of A&M Records and Arista Records before entering the film business to produce motion pictures.
He is currently Co-Artistic Director of the AFI Conservatory and serves on the Advisory Board for UCSB at the Center for Film, Television, and New Media. He is also a mentor to the USC Peter Stark Producing Program as well as the UCLA Graduate Film program.
GARY BARBER (Producer) founded the production, finance and distribution company Spyglass Entertainment with partner Roger Birnbaum, where he serves as Co-Chairman and CEO.
The company’s savvy production choices from the beginning led to the phenomenal box office success of “The Sixth Sense,” starring Bruce Willis, which went on to gross over $661 million and garnered six Academy Award® nominations. Further successes include “The Count of Monte Cristo,” with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, “Keeping the Faith,” with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, “Shanghai Noon,” with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and its sequel “Shanghai Knights,” as well as the dynamic teaming of Al Pacino and Colin Farrell in “The Recruit.”
Mr. Barber executive produced and co-financed two milestone movies: “Bruce Almighty,” starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, which grossed over $485 million in worldwide box- office and is considered one of the blockbuster comedies of all time, and “Seabiscuit,” the tale of a legendary racehorse, starring Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper, and Jeff Bridges, which received seven Oscar® nominations with its moving story of triumph over adversity.
Mr. Barber went on to produce “The Pacifier” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” “The Pacifier,” a family comedy starring Vin Diesel, earned approximately $200 million in worldwide box office, while “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” an adaptation of the Douglas Adams bestseller, crossed the $100-million mark globally.
Spyglass also co-financed and Mr. Barber executive produced: “The Legend of Zorro,” the sequel to the 1998 smash hit, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas, and director Martin Campbell, and “Memoirs of a Geisha,” based on the best-selling novel, helmed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) and starring Ziyi Zhang and Ken Watanabe. “Memoirs of a Geisha” earned Spyglass three Oscar® wins out of six nominations, bringing a total of 26 nominations to the eight-year-old company.
Last year’s successful Walt Disney Pictures’ “Eight Below” was co-financed by Spyglass and executive produced by Mr. Barber. In the spring of 2007 is the release of “The Lookout,” a crime thriller written by the acclaimed Scott Frank in his directorial debut. Spyglass produced and financed the film, which will be released domestically through Touchstone Films.
Spyglass recently wrapped production on the live-action feature of the beloved classic cartoon series, “Underdog,” as well as two new comedies, “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to “Bruce Almighty” starring Steve Carell, and “Balls of Fury,” a hilarious look at a former pingpong champ.
A seasoned veteran of the business, Barber has been directly responsible for operating companies in feature-film production and distribution, foreign theatrical, video and TV distribution, exhibition and pre-recorded music and music publishing. He was responsible for building these companies from the ground up.
In managing these businesses, Barber was instrumental in making many landmark deals, identifying and breaking new talent and producing major worldwide hits. His international expertise is considered one of the best in the business, with extensive relationships in worldwide theatrical, video and television. As an executive with unparalleled experience and financial savvy, Barber has also developed strong relationships in the commercial and investment-banking community and earned the respect of this tightly knit group through constant and successful deal-making.
Barber is the former Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Creek Productions. During his eight and a half years at the company, he was in charge of all day-today operations for each of Morgan Creek’s business entities, including feature-film production, foreign distribution, music, exhibition and interactive.
Barber has produced or executive produced over 50 feature films and TV shows including the 1994 hit that rocketed Jim Carrey to stardom, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” its highly successful sequel, “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” and the 1991 blockbuster “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” starring Kevin Costner.
JONATHAN GLICKMAN (Producer) is responsible for the development and production of all Spyglass films. In 1993, Mr. Glickman joined Caravan Pictures as an intern, and by 1997, he had worked his way up to President of the company. During this time, he helped to bring in such projects as “While You Were Sleeping,” serving as associate producer. Later, he also produced the international smash hits “Rush Hour” and its sequel “Rush Hour II.” In addition, Mr. Glickman executive produced “Grosse Pointe Blank” and Walt Disney’s “Inspector Gadget.”
In 1998, Mr. Glickman was named President of Production for Spyglass Entertainment. While at Spyglass, he has produced “Shanghai Noon,” “Count of Monte Cristo,” “Mr. 3000,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” and the 2005 family hit “The Pacifier.” In 2007, Mr. Glickman is producing the summer releases “Rush Hour 3,” “Underdog,” and “Balls of Fury.” Mr. Glickman, who is married to television writer Christy Callahan, graduated with honors in English from the University of Michigan and attended University of Southern California’s Peter Stark program.
MICHAEL MACARI’s (Producer) recent notable credits include the hugely successful American remake of the Japanese horror film “The Ring” for DreamWorks Pictures and its sequel, “The Ring Two.” Among Macari’s upcoming projects are such features as New Line Cinema’s “No Place Like Home,” starring Vince Vaughn, and “Amusement,” to be directed by John Simpson, as well as “Fracture,” for Paramount Vantage. In addition, he is actively developing, packaging and producing over two dozen other studio and independent film and television projects.
Previously a Development and Production Executive for Fine Line Features/New Line Cinema, Macari was responsible for such acclaimed features as “The Anniversary Party,” starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Alan Cumming, Kevin Kline, and Gwyneth Paltrow and “Human Nature,” with Patricia Arquette and Tim Robbins. He also covered various domestic and international film festivals and tracked independent feature films at all stages of production for potential domestic and international distribution.
Prior to joining Fine Line, Macari was an agent trainee at United Talent Agency, where he worked with such clients as Joel and Ethan Coen, Wes Anderson, and Curtis Hanson. He is a graduate of Duke University, the University of Texas Law School, and the University of London—QMW in addition to being a member of the California State Bar.
NEAL EDELSTEIN (Producer) served as executive producer of the hugely successful American remake of the Japanese horror film “The Ring” and “The Ring Two” for DreamWorks Pictures.
Edelstein graduated from the University of Arizona in 1992 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts with an emphasis on film studies. He moved directly to Los Angeles where he began his film career as production assistant on commercials and film productions. Edelstein rose through the ranks and went on to produce numerous television spots.
In 1997, Edelstein produced David Lynch’s film segment in “Lumiere,” shot with the original Lumiere brothers’camera. Upon completion of the film, Edelstein and Lynch became partners in The Picture Factory, a film production company. Edelstein produced Lynch’s award-winning internationally acclaimed films “The Straight Story” in 1999 and “Mulholland Drive” in 2001.
Edelstein’s forthcoming features include the Vince Vaughn comedy “No Place Like Home” as well as the John Simpson horror film “Amusement.” Other projects slated for 2007 include “Kung Fu High School” for The Weinstein Co.
In addition to filming the international smash hits “Blade: Trinity,” “Blade 2” and “S.W.A.T.,” GABRIEL BERISTAIN, ASC/BSC (Director of Photography) most recently shot the action feature “The Sentinel,” starring Michael Douglas.
Born in Mexico, Beristain is the son of Luis Beristain, a successful Mexican actor whose last feature film was Luis Bunuel’s masterpiece “Exterminating Angel.” His son’s interest in filmmaking began at a young age, when he became actively involved in the Mexican independent film movement.
Beristain emigrated to Europe, where he worked as a documentary and newsreel cameraman following sensitive political, social and ecological issues. Settling in England, Beristain attended the prestigious National Film and Television School.
In 1987, Beristain was honored with the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his photography of Derek Jarmen’s “Caravaggio.” Among Beristain’s other film credits are “The Ring 2,” “The Spanish Prisoner,” “Dolores Claiborne,” “K2” and “Aria.” Beristain moved to Los Angeles in 1991, where he now resides.
CARLOS BARBOSA (Production Designer) is an Emmy® nominee for his work on the hit Fox series “24” and has also worked on such acclaimed and popular series as “Lost,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “CSI: Miami.” His recent credits include the feature film “Coach Carter” and the HBO film “Walkout” directed by Edward James Olmos.
A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Barbosa studied architecture at the Universidad de los Andes and eventually received his master’s degree from the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans. After designing projects across America, including the 1984 World’s Fair in Louisiana, Barbosa launched his film career in Los Angeles. Working as an Art Director, he soon distinguished himself with his work on such films as Gus Van Sant’s remake of “Psycho,” among others.
TISH MONAGHAN’s (Costume Designer) recent work includes “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” starring Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and Jennifer Carpenter; Lasse Hallström’s “Unfinished Life” with Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman; “The Underclassman” with Nick Cannon, Rosalyn Sanchez and Cheech Marin; and “Catch and Release” with Jennifer Garner. Additional feature credits for Monaghan include the Warner Bros. feature “Cats and Dogs,” “Happy Gilmore,” and “Distant Thunder.” Tish’s next project is Paramount Pictures’ “Hot Rods,” with “Saturday Night Live” star Andy Samberg.
A native of British Columbia, Monaghan received her BFA from the University of Victoria and subsequently went on to complete a Costume Studies Course at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Initially working as a costumer, cutter and supervisor, Monaghan landed her first design job in 1983 on the Canadian miniseries “Brothers by Choice.” She honed her craft by working as Assistant Costume Designer on such critically acclaimed films as “Snow Falling On Cedars,” “Cousins,” “The Accused,” “Roxanne” and “The Santa Clause 2.”
Monaghan’s television credits include such miniseries as Hallmark’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” USA network’s “Traffic,” “Sole Survivor” for Columbia Tri-Star/Fox and “Aftershock” for CBS. She also worked on the Spelling series “The Heights” and has completed numerous movies for television.
Information contained within as of April 11, 2007.