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{{infobox person
| name               = Ruben Fleischer
| image              = Ruben Fleischer by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| caption            = Fleischer at the 2018 [[San Diego Comic-Con]]
| birth_name         = Ruben Samuel Fleischer<ref name=fmtrm1>{{cite web|url=http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/j/e/n/Jaci-Jennings-Vale-of-Glamorgan/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0539.html |title=Jennings, Hughes, Wilkes, Webber, Aldridge U.K.:Information about Ruben Samuel Fleischer |publisher=Familytreemaker.genealogy.com |date=August 15, 1996 |access-date=January 7, 2013}}</ref>
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1974|10|31|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| education          = [[Wesleyan University]]
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
*[[Film director]]
*[[film producer]]
*[[television producer]]
*[[music video director]]
*[[commercial director]]
}}
| years_active       = 2000–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|Holly Shakoor|2012}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/emma-stone-officiates-a-wedding-just-like-these-other-celebrities-20121411 |title=Emma Stone officiates a wedding – just like these other celebrities |publisher=UsMagazine.com |date=November 14, 2012 |access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>
}}
'''Ruben Samuel Fleischer''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|l|aɪ|ʃ|ər}}; born October 31, 1974) is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director. 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 (film)|Gangster Squad]]'', ''[[Uncharted (film)|Uncharted]]'', and 2018's ''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]'' featuring the [[Marvel Comics]] character of the [[Venom (character)|same name]]. Prior to features, he directed television commercials for such brands as [[Cisco]], [[Eurostar]], [[ESPN]], and [[Burger King]], and music videos for artists such as [[M.I.A. (artist)|M.I.A.]], [[Electric Six]], [[DJ Format]] and [[Gold Chains]].

== Early life ==
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 a professor of medicine.<ref name=fmtrm1/>{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2025|certain=y|reason=genealogy/familytree user geneated contents}}<ref name="pstmag1">{{cite news |last=Bloomer |first=Jeffrey |date=October 2, 2009 |title=Getting to Know... Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/10/getting-to-know-zombieland-director-ruben-fleische.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105015416/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/10/getting-to-know-zombieland-director-ruben-fleische.html |archive-date=November 5, 2009 |work=Paste Magazine}}</ref> His brother, Lucas, works in new media.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603398.html |title=With 'Zombieland,' D.C. Native Ruben Fleischer Turns His Directorial Debut Into a Hit |work=Washingtonpost.com |date= October 17, 2009|access-date=January 7, 2013 |first=Ann |last=Hornaday}}</ref> His father was born to a [[Jewish]] family, while his mother [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]]. Fleischer was raised in [[Reform Judaism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.forward.com/the-arty-semite/168997/gangster-squads-comedy-nerd/ |title=Gangster Squad's Comedy Nerd – The Arty Semite – Forward.com |work=The Jewish Daily Forward |publisher=Blogs.forward.com |access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>

After graduating with a major in history from [[Wesleyan University]] in [[Middletown, Connecticut]], Fleischer moved to [[San Francisco]], where he worked as a freelance HTML programmer, unsure what he wanted to do with his life.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603398.html|title=Don of the Dead|author=Ann Hornaday|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 17, 2009}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/movies/sean-penn-in-ruben-fleischers-gangster-squad.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Ruben Fleischer’s ‘Gangster Squad’], New York Times. By Michael Cieply. Published: January 4, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://collider.com/director-ruben-fleischer-interview-zombieland-a/|title=Director Ruben Fleischer Interview ZOMBIELAND|author= Steve Weintraub  | work= Collider Magazine|date=July 9, 2009}}</ref> 

==Career==
Taking the advice of close friend [[Mike White (scriptwriter)|Mike White]] (also a  Wesleyan graduate), Fleischer worked as a PA in the writers' office of ''[[Dawson's Creek]]''.<ref name=pstmag1/> After working as assistant to director [[Miguel Arteta]], 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, ''[[30 Minutes or Less]]'', opened in theaters on August 12, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/30-minutes-less-teaser-posters/|title='30 Minutes Or Less' Teaser Posters|author=Germain Lussier| work=Slashfilm|date=April 22, 2011}}</ref>

Fleischer directed ''[[Gangster Squad (film)|Gangster Squad]]'', a 2013 action thriller film, based on the special tactical group created by the [[LAPD]] to combat the [[Los Angeles crime family]].<ref name="budget">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/emma-stone-rounds-up-gangster-squad-1118040460/|title=Emma Stone rounds up 'Gangster Squad'|last1=Sneider|first1=Jeff|last2=Kroll|first2=Justin|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Reed Business Information]]|date=July 26, 2011|access-date=July 27, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108144431/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118040460|archive-date=January 8, 2012}}</ref> He next directed ''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]'', a film about [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Eddie Brock]], starring [[Tom Hardy]]; it was released on October 5, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/tom-hardy-venom-spinoff-spider-man-director-ruben-fleischer-1202418721/|title=Tom Hardy to Star in 'Spider-Man' Movie 'Venom,' Ruben Fleischer to Direct |publisher=Variety|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=October 10, 2016}}</ref>

In 2019, he directed ''[[Zombieland: Double Tap]]'', reuniting the four original leads.<ref>{{cite news|author=Michael Kennedy|publisher=Screen Rant|url=https://screenrant.com/zombieland-2-script-completed/|title=''Zombieland 2'' Writers Reveal Script is Completed|date=March 23, 2017|access-date=March 23, 2017}}</ref> In February 2020, he was hired to direct ''[[Uncharted (film)|Uncharted]]'', based on the video game series [[Uncharted|of the same name]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/antonio-banderas-uncharted-movie-tom-holland-1203520345/|title=Antonio Banderas Joins Tom Holland in 'Uncharted' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=March 2, 2020|access-date=March 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302182551/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/antonio-banderas-uncharted-movie-tom-holland-1203520345/|archive-date=March 2, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2022, he was hired to direct ''[[Now You See Me: Now You Don't]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/now-you-see-me-ruben-fleischer-lionsgate-1235130999/|title= Ruben Fleischer To Direct Next 'Now You See Me' Pic For Lionsgate|last1=Grobar|first1=Matt|last2=D'Alessandro|first2=Anthony|date=September 29, 2022}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
'''Short film'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
|-
| 2001 
| ''The Girls Guitar Club'' 
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2005 
| ''Gumball 3000: 6 Days in May'' 
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
|}

=== Feature film ===
<!--Table is for features that have been released or are comfirmed to be released. DO NOT INCLUDE UPCOMING PROJECTS THAT HAVEN'T BEGAN PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY-->
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Director !! Executive<br>producer
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Zombieland]]'' || {{yes}} || {{no}}
|-
| 2011 || ''[[30 Minutes or Less]]'' || {{yes}} || {{no}}
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Gangster Squad (film)|Gangster Squad]]'' || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|2018 || ''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]'' || {{yes}} || {{no}} 
|-
| ''[[The Mule (2018 film)|The Mule]]'' || {{no}} || {{yes}} 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Zombieland: Double Tap]]'' || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Venom: Let There Be Carnage]]'' || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
| 2022 || ''[[Uncharted (film)|Uncharted]]'' || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
| 2025 || ''[[Now You See Me: Now You Don't]]'' || {{yes}} || {{no}}
|}

;Producer
* ''[[Two Night Stand]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Unicorn Store]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Bad Trip (film)|Bad Trip]]'' (2021)
* ''[[Little Brother (2026 film)|Little Brother]]'' (2026)

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Executive<br>producer
! Notes
|-
| 2003–2006
| ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2006–2007
| ''[[Rob & Big]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| Also creator
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2009–2015
| ''[[Fantasy Factory]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| Also creator
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Funny or Die Presents]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Marry Me (American TV series)|Marry Me]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "F Me"
|-
| 2015–2021
| ''[[Superstore (TV series)|Superstore]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Directed 7 episodes
|-
| 2016
| ''[[American Housewife]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Directed episode "Pilot"
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Santa Clarita Diet]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Directed 2 episodes
|-
| 2017–2021
| ''[[The Bold Type]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| 2019–2020
| ''[[Stumptown (TV series)|Stumptown]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Directed 1 episode
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2023
| ''[[The Good Doctor (American TV series)|The Good Doctor]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[White House Plumbers (miniseries)|White House Plumbers]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| ''[[Jury Duty (2023 TV series)|Jury Duty]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| 2024
| ''[[St. Denis Medical]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Directed 2 episodes
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Motorheads]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|}

=== Music video ===
{|class="wikitable"
! Title
! Artist
|-
|"[[Galang (song)|Galang]]"
|[[M.I.A. (rapper)|M.I.A.]]
|-
|"[[Fix Up, Look Sharp]]"
|rowspan=2|[[Dizzee Rascal]]
|-
|"[[Stand Up Tall]]"
|-
|"[[Pro Nails]]"
|[[Kid Sister]]
|-
|"I Came From SF"
|rowspan=4|[[Gold Chains]]
|-
|"Cali Nights"
|-
|"The Game"
|-
|"Nada"
|-
|"[[Dance Commander]]"
|[[Electric Six]]
|-
|"Vicious Battle Raps"
|rowspan=3|[[DJ Format]]
|-
|"[[We Know Something You Don't Know|We Know Something You Don't]]"
|-
|"The Hit Song"
|-
|"Mocito"
|Pigeon Funk
|-
|"[[Pies (song)|Pies]]"
|[[Wiley (musician)|Wiley]]
|-
|"Dirty Girl"
|[[Bobby Light]]
|-
|"[[Wash in the Rain]]"
|[[The Bees (English band)|The Bees]]
|-
|"[[Here She Comes Again (The Stands song)|Here She Comes Again]]"
|[[The Stands]]
|-
|"I Believe in You"
|[[Amp Fiddler]]
|-
|"Stadtkind"
|[[Ellen Allien]]
|-
|"Time Bomb"
|[[The Dismemberment Plan]]
|-
|"Just a Simple Plan"
|[[Piebald (band)|Piebald]]
|-
|"French Jacuzzi Dub"
|Explosion Robinson
|-
|"[[Come On to Me (Major Lazer song)|Come On to Me]]"
|[[Major Lazer]] featuring [[Sean Paul]]
|}

=== Commercials ===
{|class="wikitable"
! Title
! Brand
|-
|"Ladies Man"
|rowspan=3|[[Boost Mobile]]
|-
|"Geek"
|-
|"Shopaholic"
|-
|"Good Inside"
|rowspan=2|[[McDonald's]]
|-
|"After Party"
|-
|"Revision 43A"
|rowspan=4|[[Cisco]]
|-
|"Jack 245"
|-
|"Call Jimmy"
|-
|"Manager"
|-
|"Up Late with The King"
|rowspan=3|[[Burger King]]
|-
|"Handoff"
|-
|"Bounce"
|-
|"Circles"
|[[Eurostar]]
|-
|"Quiet" 
|rowspan=2|[[ESPN]]
|-
|"Mascots"
|-
|"The Drop"
|[[Courir]]
|-
|"Nose"
|[[Cinnamon Toast Crunch]]
|-
|"Infomercial"
|[[Borat (soundtrack)|''Borat'' soundtrack]]
|-
|"Believe It or Not"
|[[G4 (American TV network)|G4]]
|-
|"Asai Kenichi"
|rowspan=3|[[Levi Strauss & Co.|Levi's]]
|-
|"Hiroshi Fujiwara"
|-
|"Chara"
|-
|"Cops"
|[[Ribena]]
|-
|"Down Home"
|[[KFC]]
|-
|"[[Har Mar Superstar]]"
|[[Vladivar Vodka|Vladivar]]
|-
|"A Way In"
|[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]
|-
|}

==Reception==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title
!Rotten Tomatoes Rating (%)
!Budget ($)
!'''Box office''' '''($)'''
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Zombieland]]''
|89%
|23.6 million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=zombieland.htm|title=Zombieland|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=March 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330023111/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=zombieland.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
|102.4 million<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zombieland-Double-Tap-(2019) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103112445/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zombieland-Double-Tap-(2019) |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=The Numbers}}</ref>
|-
| 2011 || ''[[30 Minutes or Less]]''
|45%
|28 million<ref name="LABox">{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Amy |date=August 11, 2011 |title=Movie Projector: 'Apes' likely to swing higher than 'The Help' |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/08/movie-projector-the-help-30-minutes-or-less-final-destination-glee.html |access-date=August 11, 2011 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
|40.7 million<ref name="mojo2">{{cite web |title=30 Minutes or Less (2011) |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=30minutesorless.htm |access-date=2018-04-17 |publisher=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Gangster Squad (film)|Gangster Squad]]''
|30%
|60–75 million<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2013-Feature-Production-Report-w-Release-030614_1394125127.pdf|title=2013 Feature Film Study |last=FilmL.A. |date=March 1, 2014|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>
|105.2 million<ref name="BOM2">{{cite web |title=Gangster Squad (2013) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gangstersquad.htm |access-date=November 9, 2016 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"|2018 || ''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]''
|31%
|100–116 million
|856.1 million<ref name="BOM">{{Cite Box Office Mojo|id=1270797|title=Venom (2018)|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The Mule (2018 film)|The Mule]]''
|70%
|50 million<ref name="BOM5" />
|174.8 million<ref name="BOM3">{{cite web |title=The Mule (2018) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=themule.htm |access-date=October 30, 2019 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Zombieland: Double Tap]]''
|68%
|42–48 million<ref name="VarietyBudget">{{cite web |date=September 26, 2019 |title=Box Office: 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' Eyes $50 Million Launch |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/maleficent-2-box-office-opening-tracking-1203350392/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019174433/https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/maleficent-2-box-office-opening-tracking-1203350392/ |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |access-date=September 26, 2019 |publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref name=opening>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2013/01/box-office-gangster-squad-opens-with-650k-for-possible-20m-and-1-in-tight-race-with-zero-dark-thirty-expansion-401994/|title=#1 'Zero Dark Thirty' Widens For $24M, 'Haunted House' Beats Disappointing 'Gangster Squad' For #2; 'Silver Linings', 'Lincoln', 'Life Of Pi' Get Oscar Bumps|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=January 13, 2013 |author=Nikki Finke|access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>
|125.2 million<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zombieland-Double-Tap-(2019) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103112445/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zombieland-Double-Tap-(2019) |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=The Numbers}}</ref>
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Venom: Let There Be Carnage]]''
|57%
|110 million<ref name="VarietyBudget2" />
|506.8 million<ref name="BOM4" /><ref name="NUM">{{Cite The Numbers|id=Venom-Let-There-be-Carnage|title=Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)|access-date=January 28, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 2022 || ''[[Uncharted (film)|Uncharted]]''
|41%
|120 million
|407.1 million<ref name="NUM2">{{cite The Numbers|title=Uncharted|id=Uncharted-(2022)|access-date=June 21, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 2025 || ''[[Now You See Me: Now You Don't]]''
|61%
|90 million
|219 million
|}

==Collaborations==
Like many directors, Fleischer has worked with certain actors on two or more of his films:
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
!Actor!!''[[Zombieland]]''<br />(2009)!!''[[30 Minutes or Less]]''<br />(2011)!!''[[Gangster Squad (film)|Gangster Squad]]''<br />(2013)!!''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]''<br />(2018)!!''[[Zombieland: Double Tap]]''<br />(2019)!!''[[Uncharted (film)|Uncharted]]''<br />(2022)!!''[[Now You See Me: Now You Don't]]''<br />(2025)!!Total
|-
|{{rh}}|[[Abigail Breslin]] || {{U2713}} || || || || {{U2713}} || || || 2
|-
|{{rh}}|[[Jesse Eisenberg]] || {{U2713}} || {{U2713}} || || || {{U2713}} || || {{U2713}} || 4
|-
|{{rh}}|[[Woody Harrelson]] || {{U2713}} || || || {{U2713}} || {{U2713}} || || {{U2713}} || 4
|-
|{{rh}}|[[Bill Murray]] || {{U2713}} || || || || {{U2713}} || || || 2
|-
|{{rh}}|[[Michael Peña]] || || {{U2713}} || {{U2713}} || || || || || 2
|-
|{{rh}}|[[Emma Stone]] || {{U2713}} || || {{U2713}} || || {{U2713}} || || || 3
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0281508|Ruben Fleischer}}

{{Ruben Fleischer}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischer, Ruben}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:American music video directors]]
[[Category:American Reform Jews]]
[[Category:American comedy film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Film directors from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American horror film directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Wesleyan University alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Writers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Ruben Fleischer|access_date=2026-03-05}}