Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film producer, entertainment businessman, director of motion pictures, music videos, and television. He is known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series Prison Break, the comedy Horrible Bosses, and its 2014 sequel.
Ratner got his start directing with music videos in the 1990s, and directed his first motion picture, Money Talks, in 1997. Overall, the films Ratner has directed have earned over $2 billion at the global box office.
Ratner is the co-founder of RatPac Entertainment, a film production and financing company. Ratner led RatPac's partnership with Dune Entertainment in September 2013 for a co-financing deal with Warner Bros. that included 75 films.
On January 19, 2017, Ratner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.
In late 2017, a former talent agency employee accused Ratner of rape and seven other women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment. Said accusations have led to a severance of ties between Ratner and Warner Bros.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Early life
Ratner was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida, the son of Marsha Pratts (remarried), a socialite, and Ronald Ratner. He grew up in a "middle-class Jewish family". His father was the son of a wealthy Miami businessman. His mother was born in Cuba, and immigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s with her parents, Fanita and Mario Presman (their families had originally moved to Cuba from Eastern Europe). Ratner's mother was sixteen when he was born. Ratner told Aventura Business Monthly in a May 2011, cover story interview that he "really didn't know" his biological father, and that he considers Alvin Malnik, who opened the famous Forge restaurant in Miami Beach, to be his dad, "the one who raised" him. Ratner's biological father became homeless in Miami Beach, a situation which inspired the adult Brett to become a board member of the nationwide nonprofit organization Chrysalis, which helps the homeless find work.
Ratner attended Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy elementary school and attended Alexander Muss High School in Israel and graduated in 1986 from Miami Beach Senior High School. While growing up in Miami Beach, Ratner was an extra on the set of Scarface and was able to watch Miami Vice film around town. He is a 1990 graduate of New York University. In 2010, he cited the 1980 boxing film Raging Bull as his inspiration to enter the world of film.
Music Video Production Miami Video
Career
Directing
Ratner has directed several music videos for artists such as Mariah Carey, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Jay Z and Michael Jackson. He directed one film, the 1997 action comedy Money Talks, before reaching commercial success with the action-comedy Rush Hour (1998), starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, both of whom reunited with Ratner for two sequels, Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007). Ratner was under consideration to direct X-Men (2000) and Superman Returns (2006), although both were eventually directed by Bryan Singer. After Singer left the X-Men franchise to direct Superman Returns, Ratner became director of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
Ratner directed a Super Bowl ad for Wynn Las Vegas featuring Steve Wynn (Wynn stood on top of Wynn Las Vegas for the commercial as he introduced the property).
In May 2008, it was announced that Ratner would be directing the long in-development Beverly Hills Cop IV, which was confirmed on December 6, 2013. He also edited the English version of the film Kites, starring Indian superstar Hrithik Roshan and Mexican actress Bárbara Mori using techniques developed in the critically acclaimed series Kung Faux.
Ratner directed and served as an executive producer on the 2011 CBS comedy-drama television series CHAOS. In the same year, Ratner also directed the ensemble comedy caper Tower Heist.
Screen appearances
Ratner was seen on MTV series Punk'd when Hugh Jackman, who portrays Wolverine in the X-Men films, was the subject of a practical joke that made it appear Ratner's $3.6 million home in Beverly Hills was destroyed by a BBQ grill explosion. Ashton Kutcher later arrived at his home and hugged him after Jackman was punk'd.
On April 25, 2007, Fox Broadcasting announced that he, Carrie Fisher, Garry Marshall and Jon Avnet would be the judges for the network's filmmaking-competition, reality TV series, On the Lot, which premiered to low ratings in May 2007.
He also appeared as himself in Entourage, in an episode that was shot at his Beverly Hills home, and in the film Black and White.
Publishing
His publishing company, Rat Press, is re-releasing out of print books about Hollywood. The first three books, released on March 25, 2009, are about Marlon Brando, Robert Evans and Jim Brown. Brett Ratner also created his own magazine titled "Ratmag" through celebrity magazine publisher MYMAG.
Producing
Ratner produced a remake of Snow White, Mirror Mirror (2012), based on the screenplay The Brothers Grimm: Snow White by Melisa Wallack.
Ratner has produced feature films, TV series, and documentaries. He executive produced the 2010 documentary film, Catfish and the 2011 TV documentary, American Masters: WoodyAllen - A Documentary. Ratner also produced Skyline (2010) and Horrible Bosses (2011).
Ratner executive-produced the Rush Hour TV series.
On January 19, 2017, Ratner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.
RatPac Entertainment
In December 2012, Ratner and Australian media mogul James Packer formed a joint venture, RatPac Entertainment. The firm will produce independent films and co-produce big-budget films with a major studio.
RatPac and Dune Entertainment formed a film investment vehicle, which in September 2013, entered a multi-year, 75-film co-financing partnership with Warner Bros. By 2017, the company co-financed over 50 films which had 51 Oscar nominations and earned a total of over $10 billion in box office.
Rumored projects
In May 2011, it was announced that Ratner signed on to direct The 39 Clues, the live-action adaptation of the young-adult book series.
In June 2014, Ratner's RatPac Entertainment and Class 5 Films acquired the movie rights to the non-fiction article American Hippopotamus, by Jon Mooallem, about the meat shortage in the U.S. in 1910 and the attempts made by Major Frederick Russell Burnham, Captain Fritz Joubert Duquesne and Congressman Robert Broussard to import hippopotamuses into the Louisiana bayous and to convince Americans to eat them. The movie will highlight the Burnham - Duquesne rivalry, two famous spies who had previously been under orders to assassinate each other. Ratner, Edward Norton, and William Migliore will produce this feature film.
A Tetris origins movie about the game's inventor Alexey Pajitnov was announced in November 2015 with Ratner attached to produce the film.
As of 2016, Ratner was reported to be working on Unfit, based on Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck.
Controversies
84th Academy Awards
On August 4, 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Ratner would produce the 84th Academy Awards with Don Mischer. However, Ratner resigned on November 8, 2011 after remarking that "rehearsal is for fags". Ratner later apologized for his remarks. Eddie Murphy, who was scheduled to host the ceremony, also resigned in deference to a new production team. Ratner was replaced by Brian Grazer, and Murphy was replaced by previous Oscar host Billy Crystal.
Sexual misconduct allegations
In October 2017, a former talent agency employee accused Ratner of rape. By November 2017, seven women, including Ellen Page, Olivia Munn, and Natasha Henstridge, accused Ratner of sexual misconduct and harassment, as well as following an actress into a bathroom without invitation and masturbating as another entered his trailer to deliver food. Page has stated that Ratner outed her as gay at a cast and crew meet and greet for X-Men: The Last Stand and she felt "violated."
Journalist Danielle Berrin described being repeatedly sexually harassed by Ratner while writing an interview cover story on him in 2008 for The Jewish Journal, as well as in a follow-up article for The Jewish Journal in 2011. Actress Sarah Shahi stated that on multiple occasions during filming of Rush Hour 3 (2007), Ratner pushed his groin against her and made graphic sexual comments.
In November 2017, Ratner announced that he was "[stepping] away from all Warner Bros.-related activities" and Warner Bros. was reviewing the issue.
Lawsuits
Ratner filed a libel suit on November 1, 2017, accusing Melanie Kohler of damaging his reputation by writing a Facebook post in which she accused him of raping her. This case is exposing the potential downside of that approach as Ratner's attorneys said they would seek to limit his accuser's ability to probe into other allegations of sexual misconduct that have surfaced against the producer. Ratner has been accused of forcing women to perform oral sex and masturbating in front of women, as well as various forms of sexual harassment. Ratner's attorneys have also stated the claim is "entirely false." Kohler's attorneys urged the judge to throw out the case, but the motion to dismiss was denied in February 2018.
Works
Film and television
Music videos
Reception
Films Ratner has directed have received generally mixed to negative reviews.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
EmoticonEmoticon