Allan Ungar
Allan Ungar | |
|---|---|
 Ungar at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | film director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Notable work | Uncharted, Bandit |
Allan Ungar is a Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for directing the true crime drama Bandit, the Uncharted Live Action Fan Film, and the Netflix action thriller Gridlocked.
Career
When Ungar was 23 years old, he was hired to write and direct his first feature film Tapped Out, an MMA drama starring Michael Biehn, Anderson Silva, Krzysztof Soszynski and Martin Kove.[1] Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on May 27, 2014.[2] Ungar followed up his debut with the throwback action thriller, Gridlocked, starring Dominic Purcell, Danny Glover, Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, and Saul Rubinek.[3][4][5] The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest where it was sold to Netflix after being well received by audiences. Variety praised it as "brutally and divertingly efficient" while other critics called it an authentic tribute to buddy cop films of the 80s and 90s. The film was released by Netflix on June 14, 2016.
On July 16, 2018, Ungar and Nathan Fillion released a live action short film based on the Naughty Dog franchise Uncharted. The short immediately went viral and received critical acclaim for its witty humor, action, and ability to stay true to the source material. Fans and critics began campaigning for Netflix or YouTube to turn it into a series while referring to it as one of the best adaptations of a video game.[6]
Ungar directed and produced the crime drama Bandit, a biopic based on the true story of The Flying Bandit starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nestor Carbonell, and Mel Gibson.[7] It was released theatrically by Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment on September 23, 2022 to positive reviews. Critics declared it Josh Duhamel's career-best performance and gave praise to Ungar's brisk direction. [8][9] One month after the film was released, Redbox announced that it was the most watched original title of 2022 and their 2nd-best release ever. It debuted as the #1 film on both Paramount Plus and Apple TV Canada, and was the most watched film across multiple categories on iTunes. [10]
After the success of Uncharted, Ungar became involved in the development of several adaptations based on popular gaming IP, including the best-selling Ubisoft franchise Driver and the beloved first person shooter System Shock. On December 16, 2022 it was announced that he would be serving as an Executive Producer on the film adaptation of Death Stranding alongside Hideo Kojima and Barbarian producer Alex Lebovici.[11]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Tapped Out | Director/Writer |
| 2015 | Gridlocked | Director/Co-Writer |
| 2015 | The Sound | Producer |
| 2018 | Uncharted Live Action Fan Film | Director/Co-Writer/Producer |
| 2022 | Bandit | Director/Producer |
| 2023 | Sympathy for the Devil (2023 film) | Producer |
| 2024 | Death Stranding | Producer |
References
- ^ "Allan Ungar Interview". theactionelite.com. May 27, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (November 4, 2013). "AFM: Lionsgate, Grindstone Take U.S. Rights to Allan Ungar's 'Tapped' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 20, 2014). "Dominic Purcell Replacing Cuba Gooding Jr. in Canadian Indie 'Gridlocked'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 2, 2014). "'Dark Angel's' Richard Gunn Joins Canadian Indie 'Gridlocked' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 21, 2014). "Former TV Wrestling Diva Trish Stratus Joins 'Gridlocked'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ Stephen, Bijan (July 16, 2018). "Nathan Fillion stars as Nathan Drake in what might be film's only good video game adaptation". theverge.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ Lang, Brent (May 19, 2021). "Mel Gibson, Elisha Cuthbert Join Josh Duhamel in 'Bandit' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Bandit Review: Josh Duhamel Steals The Show As A Legendary Canadian Bank Robber". The Wrap. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Josh Duhamel is superb in riveting new film Bandit". Markos Papadatos. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "In Brief: NBA stars, Wu-Tang rapper board Handle with Care". Playback Online. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "'Death Stranding' Film Adaptation in the Works From Kojima Productions". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
External links
- Allan Ungar at IMDb
- Allan Ungar on X
- Allan Ungar on Instagram