William Hunt Block (born April 2, 1954) is an American film producer who was CEO of Miramax from April 2017 to October 2023. His producing credits include W. (2008), District 9 (2009), Fury (2014), Bad Moms (2016), Dirty Grandpa (2016), Halloween (2018), and Halloween Kills (2021).
Bill Block | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Hunt Block April 2, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Spouse | Eugenia Kuzmina |
Early life
editBlock was born in New York City, where he attended Columbia University and later became a supporter of the school's film program.[1]
Career
editBlock began his career as a literary agent before founding the Intertalent Agency in 1988, where he represented artists such as Kim Basinger, Samuel L. Jackson, Steven Seagal, Charlie Sheen, John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Sam Raimi, Roland Emmerich and William Friedkin. In 1992, he joined International Creative Management as head of West Coast Operations.[2]
Block founded Artisan Entertainment, an independent film studio that produced films including The Blair Witch Project; The Buena Vista Social Club; Darren Aronofsky's Pi and Requiem for a Dream; The Limey directed by Steven Soderbergh; The Ninth Gate starring Johnny Depp and directed by Roman Polanski; and David Koepp's Stir of Echoes and Made starring Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn.[3][4]
In 2002, Block founded film finance, production and sales company QED International. He was CEO of QED for 12 years, producing films including Neill Blomkamp's District 9 and Elysium, Oliver Stone's W. and David Ayer's WWII thriller Fury starring Brad Pitt.[5] In 2014, after Media Content Capital took a controlling interest in QED, Block left the company to launch Merced Media with producer Kevin Frakes.[6]
From 2015–17, he was managing director of Bill Block Media, producing the commercially successful Bad Moms starring Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell, and Dirty Grandpa starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron. In November 2015, he settled a legal dispute with QED, after his former company filed a federal lawsuit alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition concerning the rights to Dirty Grandpa.[7]
He was named CEO of Miramax in April 2017.[5] He left the studio in October 2023 following the lapse of his contract with them, forming another production company, BlockFilm, later that month.[8][9] Producer Jonathan Glickman subsequently replaced Block as Miramax's CEO on April 2, 2024.[10]
Personal life
editBlock lives in the Hollywood Hills with his wife, Eugenia Kuzmina, a model, actress and comedian, his two sons and a daughter.[11]
Filmography
editHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
edit| Year | Film | Credit | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Vanilla Sky | Executive producer | ||
| 2003 | Devil's Pond | Executive producer | Direct-to-video | |
| 2007 | First Born | Executive producer | ||
| The Lucky Ones | Executive producer | |||
| The Hunting Party | ||||
| 2008 | Smart People | Executive producer | ||
| W. | ||||
| 2009 | Powder Blue | Executive producer | ||
| District 9 | Executive producer | |||
| 2011 | Texas Killing Fields | Executive producer | ||
| 2012 | Alex Cross | |||
| 2013 | Elysium | |||
| Fading Gigolo | ||||
| Haunt | ||||
| 2014 | Sabotage | |||
| Fury | ||||
| 2015 | The Family Fang | Executive producer | ||
| Rock the Kasbah | ||||
| 2016 | Dirty Grandpa | |||
| Bad Moms | ||||
| 2017 | A Bad Moms Christmas | Executive producer | ||
| 2018 | Halloween | |||
| The Perfection | ||||
| 2019 | Jay and Silent Bob Reboot | Executive producer | ||
| The Gentlemen | ||||
| 2020 | Uncle Frank | |||
| 2021 | Wrath of Man | |||
| He's All That | ||||
| Halloween Kills | ||||
| Mother/Android | ||||
| 2022 | Sick | |||
| Confess, Fletch | ||||
| Halloween Ends | ||||
| 2023 | Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre | |||
| Gray Matter | Executive producer | |||
| The Holdovers | ||||
| Strange Darling | ||||
| Old Dads | ||||
| 2024 | The Beekeeper | |||
| Here | ||||
| The Exorcism | ||||
| 2025 | A Working Man | |||
TBA |
Harvest Moon | |||
| The Home | ||||
| World War 3 |
- Production manager
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Belly | Executive in charge of production | |
| 1999 | Stir of Echoes | ||
| 2000 | The Way of the Gun | ||
| 2001 | The Center of the World | ||
| Made | Uncredited
|
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Spawn | Thanks |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Good at Life | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2020 | Spy City | Executive producer | |
| 2023 | Project Greenlight: A New Generation | Executive producer | Documentary |
| TBA | Serendipity | Executive producer | |
| The Gentlemen | Executive producer |
References
edit- ^ "Minds Behind the Film Festival Saluted. Columbia University Record. MAY 21, 1997". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Claudia Eller (October 13, 1992). "Block Bound for ICM". Variety.
- ^ Pamela, McClintock (9 February 2006). "Block makes indie move". Daily Variety. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ Mike Goodridge (August 15, 2001). "Bill Block resigns from Artisan Entertainment". ScreenDaily.
- ^ a b McNary, Dave (April 26, 2017). "Miramax Hires Veteran Producer Bill Block as CEO". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 8, 2014). "'Fury' Producer Bill Block, Kevin Frakes Launch Merced Media With $500 Million For Slate Financing". Deadline. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ McNary, Dave (November 5, 2015). "Bill Block, QED Settle Legal Dispute". Variety. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr.; Andreeva, Nellie (October 2, 2023). "Shocker! Shakeup At Miramax As CEO Bill Block Exits". Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (27 October 2023). "Jason Statham To Star In David Ayer-Directed Sylvester Stallone Script 'Levon's Trade' From Black Bear & Bill Block's BlockFilm — AFM Hot Package". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2 April 2024). "Miramax Names Jonathan Glickman CEO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "At Home With Eugenia Kuzmina In Hollywood Hills". Pump Magazine. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Ashton, Will (2022-03-08). "'Old Dads': Katie Aselton Joins the Cast of Bill Burr's Directorial Debut". Collider. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
External links
edit- Bill Block at IMDb