Introduction
Ruben Samuel Fleischer (born October 31, 1974) is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director who lives in Los Angeles. He is best known as the director of Zombieland (2009), his first feature film, and its sequel Zombieland: Double Tap (2019). He has also directed the films 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and 2018's Venom featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Prior to features, Fleischer was a director of television commercials and music videos, working for such brands as Cisco, Eurostar, ESPN, and Burger King, as well as such artists as M.I.A., Electric Six, DJ Format, and Gold Chains.
Life and career
Ruben Fleischer was born and raised in Washington, D.C, the son of Karen Lee (née Samuel) and David Elliot Fleischer, who is a physician at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Professor of Medicine. His brother, Lucas, works in new media. His father was born to a Jewish family, while his mother converted to Judaism. Fleischer was raised in Reform Judaism.
After graduating with a major in history from Wesleyan University, Fleischer moved to San Francisco, unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. He found himself working as a freelance HTML programmer in San Francisco. Taking the advice of close friend Mike White (also aWesleyan graduate), Fleischer worked as a PA in the writers' office of Dawson's Creek. He eventually turned to directing and worked his way through the industry, tackling music videos and television commercials before landing his first feature film, Zombieland, in 2009. His second feature film, 30 Minutes or Less, opened in theaters on August 12, 2011.
Fleischer directed Gangster Squad, a 2013 action thriller film, based on the special tactical group created by the LAPD to combat the Los Angeles crime family. Filming began in September 2011, and the cast included Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Michael Peña, and Holt McCallany.
Fleischer next directed Venom, a film about the Marvel Comics character Eddie Brock. It stars Tom Hardy in the title role, and was released on October 5, 2018.
In 2019, Fleischer directed Zombieland: Double Tap, the sequel to his 2009 film Zombieland, reuniting all four original leads. In February 2020, Fleischer was hired to direct Uncharted, based on the video game series of the same name.
Collaborations
Fleischer has cast certain actors in more than one of his films:
| Actor | Zombieland (2009) |
30 Minutes or Less (2011) |
Gangster Squad (2013) |
Venom (2018) |
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Breslin |  Y |
Y |
2 | |||
| Jesse Eisenberg | Y |
Y |
Y |
3 | ||
| Woody Harrelson | Y |
Y |
Y |
3 | ||
| Bill Murray | Y |
Y |
2 | |||
| Michael Peña | Y |
Y |
2 | |||
| Emma Stone | Y |
Y |
Y |
3 |