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{{Infobox person
| name          = Ariel Schulman
| image         =
| caption       =
| birth_name    = Marek Ariel Schulman
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1981|10|2}}
| birth_place   = [[New York City]], U.S.
| other_names   =
| occupation    = {{flatlist|
*Filmmaker
*actor}}
| years_active  =
| known_for     =
| notable_works =
| relatives     = [[Nev Schulman]] <small>(brother)</small>
}}

'''Marek Ariel Schulman''' (born October 2, 1981)<ref>{{cite web |title=ariel schulman (rel) on Instagram: "first passport, real first name #tbt" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/VcQcLKlXsz |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/VcQcLKlXsz |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration |website=Instagram |access-date=16 September 2018 |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> is an American filmmaker and actor.<ref name = "TOL">{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/people/376922/ariel-schulman.html |title=Ariel Schulman Film Biography – Film |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out London]] |location=London, United Kingdom |quote=Screenwriter – 2009 – Catfish |access-date=November 8, 2011 |archive-date=October 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024205708/http://www.timeout.com/film/people/376922/ariel-schulman.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> He starred in, produced, and directed the 2010 documentary ''[[Catfish (film)|Catfish]]'', and co-directed ''[[Paranormal Activity 3]]'' (2011), ''[[Paranormal Activity 4]]'' (2012), ''[[Nerve (2016 film)|Nerve]]'' (2016) and ''[[Project Power]]'' (2020) with [[Henry Joost]].

==Career==
Schulman has directed the movies ''[[Catfish (2010 film)|Catfish]]'', ''[[Paranormal Activity 3]]'', ''[[Paranormal Activity 4]]'', and ''[[Nerve (2016 film)|Nerve]]'' alongside [[Henry Joost]]. He graduated from the [[Tisch School of the Arts]]' film program in 2004.<ref name="Catfish">Schulman and Joost, along with ''Catfish'' producers, Marc Smerling and Andrew Jarecki, are executive producers of ''Catfish: The TV Show''.{{cite web |url=http://www.hopscotchfilms.com.au/catfish/catfishdirectorsbio/ |title=Catfish – Directors Bio |publisher=[[Hopscotch (film)|Hopscotch Films]] |location=United States |quote=He graduated from NYU's Tisch Film program in 2004... |access-date=November 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228004544/http://www.hopscotchfilms.com.au/catfish/catfishdirectorsbio/ |archive-date=February 28, 2011
}}</ref> Schulman and Joost founded the production company Supermarché.

In 2017, Schulman and Joost were hired to write and direct an adaptation of ''[[Mega Man]]'' for [[20th Century Fox]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mega-man-movie-catfish-helmer-talks-direct-1022426 |title='Catfish' Helmers in Talks to Direct 'Mega Man' Movie (Exclusive) |last=Kit |first=Borys |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=July 19, 2017 |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref> In 2019, following [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox's assets]], the film along with numerous video game based movies in development at Fox were cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thegamer.com/disney-cancels-mega-man-magic-the-gathering-fox-merger/|title= Disney Just Scrapped Mega Man, Magic: The Gathering, And Sims Movies|last=Switzer|first=Eric|date=August 8, 2019}}</ref> However, this turned out to be untrue, with [[Capcom]] confirming that the film was still in development.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CAPCOM {{!}} Financial Review (Japan GAAP)|url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/finance/review.html|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=CAPCOM IR|language=ja}}</ref> In 2020, it was revealed that [[Mattson Tomlin]] had been hired to help co-write the screenplay.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Seth Rogen, David F. Sandberg, Matt Tolmach Tackling Rick Remender's 'Fear Agent' for Amazon (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/seth-rogen-david-f-sandberg-tackling-rick-remenders-fear-agent-1271777|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Mega Man Live-Action Film Is Still Happening and 'Big News' Is Coming Soon - IGN|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/mega-man-live-action-film-is-still-happening-and-big-news-is-coming-soon|language=en|access-date=July 24, 2020}}</ref>

In 2018, Schulman co-directed the [[Netflix]] sci-fi superhero thriller film ''[[Project Power]]'' alongside Joost from a screenplay by [[Mattson Tomlin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scifinow.co.uk/blog/project-power-interview-with-henry-joost-and-ariel-schulman/|title=Project Power: Interview with Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman|last=Harper|first=Rachael|work=ScifiNow|date=August 12, 2020|access-date=August 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/netflix-power-catfish-1202589672/|title=Netflix Wins Bidding War for 'Power,' White Hot Spec Script (Exclusive)|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Brent|last=Lang|date=October 16, 2017|access-date=October 11, 2018}}</ref> The film stars [[Jamie Foxx]], [[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]] and [[Dominique Fishback]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/09/jamie-foxx-joseph-gordon-levitt-join-netflix-untitled-sci-fi-movie-1202468185/
|title=Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Join Netflix's Untitled Henry Joost-Ariel Schulman Sci-Fi Feature|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=September 20, 2018|access-date=October 11, 2018}}</ref> It was released on August 14, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/project-power-netflix-trailer-jamie-foxx-joseph-gordon-levitt-1234574091/|title='Project Power' Trailer: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Team for Netflix's Next Summer Tentpole|last=Hersko|first=Tyler|work=IndieWire|date=July 15, 2020|access-date=August 13, 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==
His younger brother is [[Nev Schulman]], the host of [[MTV]]'s ''[[Catfish: The TV Show]]'' and the subject of his premiere documentary, ''[[Catfish (film)|Catfish]]''.{{cn|date=February 2025}} They are both of [[History of the Jews in Germany|German-Jewish]], [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russian-Jewish]], [[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish-Jewish]], and [[History of the Jews in Romania|Romanian-Jewish]] descent.<ref name="thej_Inte">{{Cite web |title=Interview: Nev Schulman |publisher=The Jewish Chronicle |first=Jennifer |last=Lipman |work=thejc.com |date=March 2, 2011 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |url=http://www.thejc.com/arts/arts-interviews/46139/interview-nev-schulman}}</ref>

==Filmography (with [[Henry Joost]])==
'''Film'''
* ''[[Paranormal Activity 3]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Paranormal Activity 4]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Nerve (2016 film)|Nerve]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Viral (2016 American film)|Viral]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Project Power]]'' (2020)
* ''[[Secret Headquarters]]'' (2022) (Also writer)

'''Documentary film'''
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
!width=65| DoP
! Himself
! Notes
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Catfish (film)|Catfish]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| <ref>[https://www.thisisinsider.com/every-dating-term-youll-ever-need-to-know-2018-7 ''A comprehensive guide to every dating term you'll ever need to know — in alphabetical order''], thisisinsider.com, July 15, 2018</ref>
|-
| 2011
| ''Metropolis II''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|rowspan=2| Documentary short
|-
| 2012
| ''[[John Baldessari|A Brief History of John Baldessari]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2021
| ''Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity''
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|}

'''Television'''
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
!width=65| Writer
! Executive<br>Producer
! Notes
|-
| 2011
| ''3x3''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| TV movie
|-
| 2012–2016
| ''[[Catfish: The TV Show]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|}

==Acting roles==
{|class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 2005
| ''The Adventures of Slaters's Friend''
| Slater
| rowspan="3"|Short
|-
| 2006
| ''If You See Something, Say Something''
| Commuter
|-
| rowspan="2"|2007
| ''Jerry Ruis, Shall We Do This?''
| Jerry Ruis
|-
| ''Tight Shots''
|
| TV series
|-
| 2008
| ''The Pleasure of Being Robbed''
| Boyfriend
|
|-
| 2009
| ''Family Tree''
|
| Short
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Queer (film)|Queer]]''
| Tom Weston
| 
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|1413364}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100924234428/http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/1102757/personmain.jhtml  Ariel Schulman] at the [[MTV|Music Television]]
{{Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulman, Ariel}}
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:American people of Israeli descent]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American horror film directors]]
[[Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:American people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Ariel Schulman|access_date=2026-02-25}}