Nicholas Stoller (born March 19, 1976) is a British-American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the comedy films Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), its spin-off/sequel Get Him to the Greek (2010), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), Neighbors (2014), its sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), and Bros (2022). He also co-wrote the screenplays for the films Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Yes Man (2008), The Muppets (2011), its sequel Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and Sex Tape (2014), as well as co-creating the television series The Carmichael Show (2015–2017), Friends from College (2017–2019), and Platonic (2023–present).
Nicholas Stoller | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 19, 1976 London, England |
| Occupation |
|
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Nicholas Delbanco (father-in-law) |
Early life
editStoller was born on March 19, 1976, in London, and was raised in Miami, Florida, U.S., with his brother, Matt Stoller, a columnist.[1][2] His mother, Phyllis, is a travel tour operator, and his father, Eric C. Stoller, is a bank executive.[3] Stoller was raised Jewish.[4] He attended high school at St. Paul's, a New Hampshire boarding school.[5] He went on to attend Harvard College and wrote for the comedy publication The Harvard Lampoon, and played for the improv comedy troupe The Immediate Gratification Players while an undergraduate.[3][6]
Career
editFrom 2000 to 2001, Stoller wrote for Judd Apatow's short-lived Fox television series Undeclared and later co-wrote, again with Apatow, the 2005 comedy Fun with Dick and Jane. Stoller's directorial debut, the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is a romantic comedy starring Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Jonah Hill, Kristen Bell, Bill Hader and Russell Brand. The film was produced by Apatow Productions and was released by Universal on April 18, 2008.
In 2007, he wrote a single-camera comedy about a new teacher taking a job at the boarding school he once attended. He wrote Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey; the film was produced by Richard Zanuck and David Heyman. Stoller next wrote and directed a new film for Universal and Apatow Productions titled Get Him to the Greek.[7] The film reteamed Stoller and Apatow with Forgetting Sarah Marshall co-stars Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The film premiered on May 25, 2010, and opened in theaters on June 4, 2010.
In 2008, Stoller and Segel co-wrote The Muppets, the latest film incarnation to feature the characters in nearly 12 years. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released on November 23, 2011.[8] After the film's success, Stoller and the film's director, James Bobin, wrote Muppets Most Wanted, a semi-sequel to the film.[9]
Stoller also directed The Five-Year Engagement (2012), which he co-wrote with Jason Segel, who also starred. Apatow Productions produced the picture, which is about the ups and downs of a couple's five-year engagement.[10] Stoller directed the film Neighbors, its sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and shared a screenwriting credit on Sex Tape. In 2016, Stoller wrote and directed the animated comedy film Storks for Warner Animation Group. The film was released on September 23, 2016.
Along with his wife Francesca Delbanco, Stoller created the comedy television series Friends from College, which premiered on Netflix in July 2017. Stoller directed all eight episodes of the first season.[11]
More recently, his Stoller Global Solutions company has renewed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television.[12]
Personal life
editStoller met Francesca Delbanco (daughter of writer Nicholas Delbanco and granddaughter of cellist Bernard Greenhouse) at a playwriting workshop for Harvard graduates in 2001. They married in a Jewish ceremony in September 2005.[3] They have two daughters.[5]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | No | Yes | No | |
| 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Yes | No | No | |
| Yes Man | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2010 | Get Him to the Greek | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Gulliver's Travels | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2011 | The Muppets | No | Yes | Executive | |
| 2012 | The Five-Year Engagement | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | Muppets Most Wanted | No | Yes | Executive | |
| Neighbors | Yes | No | No | ||
| Sex Tape | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2016 | Zoolander 2 | No | Yes | No | |
| Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Storks | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2017 | Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | No | Yes | No | Also soundtrack writer Song: "Saturday" |
| 2018 | Night School | No | Yes | No | |
| Smallfoot | No | No | Executive | ||
| 2019 | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | No | Yes | No | |
| 2022 | DC League of Super-Pets | No | No | Executive | |
| Bros | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2025 | You're Cordially Invited | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Animal Farm | No | Yes | Executive |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive producer |
Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Strangers with Candy | No | Yes | No | No | Episode "A Price Too High for Riches" |
| 2001–2002 | Undeclared | No | Yes | No | No | Multiple episodes, also story editor |
| 2012 | Entry Level | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Unsold pilot |
| 2015 | The Carmichael Show | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Grinder | Yes | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2017–2019 | Friends from College | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Panhandle | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023–present | Platonic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Goosebumps | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Appeared as himself
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | In the House with Peter Bart & Peter Guber | Episode: Dennis Quaid/Damon Wayans/Nicholas Stoller |
| 2010–2014 | Made in Hollywood | Episodes: #5.28 and #9.28 |
| Last Call with Carson Daly | Episodes: Episode dated May 26, 2010, and Nicholas Stoller/Theo Von/Cerebral Ballzy | |
| 2014 | IMDb: What to Watch | Episode: Neighbors |
| Just Seen It | Episodes: Neighbors, Interview with Nicholas Stoller, Devil's Knot, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 |
Other works
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Blades of Glory | Soundtrack writer Song: "Blades of Glory" |
| 2009 | Adventureland | Thanks |
| 2011 | Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son | Special thanks |
| Puss in Boots | ||
| 2013 | Turbo | Additional screenplay material |
| 2016 | The Brothers Grimsby | Special thanks |
| 2017 | The Lego Batman Movie | Creative consultant |
| The Lego Ninjago Movie | ||
| 2019 | The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part | |
| 2020 | Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Special thanks |
References
edit- ^ "Nicholas Stoller". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ Wallerstein, Andrew (June 28, 2012). "Brand X with Russell Brand". Variety.
- ^ a b c Lacher, Irene (October 9, 2005), "Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller", The New York Times, retrieved April 10, 2008
- ^ Bloom, Nate (November 25, 2011). "Jewish Stars 11/25". Cleveland Jewish News.
- ^ a b Pfefferman, Naomi (April 7, 2008), "Teen angst bring laughs film director won't 'Forget'", JewishJournal.com, retrieved May 26, 2010
- ^ "The Dark Side" WHRB radio interview, 2008
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (April 22, 2008), "Apatow, Stoller speak 'Greek'", Variety, retrieved April 26, 2008
- ^ "Jason Segel and Nick Stoller bring Muppets back". M&C Movie News. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (March 1, 2012). "No Jason Segel for Muppets Sequel". IGN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 28, 2008). "Apatow sets 'Five-Year Engagement'". Variety. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
- ^ "Exclusive photos: Eclectic cast makes Netflix's 'Friends from College'". EW.com. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 15, 2021). "Nick Stoller Re-Ups Sony Pictures TV Overall Deal, Teams With Emerald Fennell For 'Sweetness' Comedy". Deadline. Retrieved July 16, 2021.