Len Wiseman

Len Ryan Wiseman (born March 4, 1973<ref name="FTL"/>Template:Better source needed) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work on the Underworld series (2003–2016), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), the 2012 remake of Total Recall, and Ballerina (2025). Wiseman runs the production company Sketch Films.

Early life and education

Wiseman was born and raised in Fremont, California.<ref name="FTL">Template:Cite web</ref> He attended American High School and later studied film at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.<ref name=yahoo1/>

Career

Wiseman began his career in film as a property assistant on a number of Roland Emmerich films: Stargate (1994); Independence Day (1996); and Godzilla (1998).<ref name=yahoo1>Template:Cite news</ref> After creating advertisements for clients including Sony, he directed music videos for artists such as Megadeth, En Vogue, Static-X & Mephisto Odyssey. He received a Best Art Direction nomination for Quarashi's "Stick 'Em Up" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and a Best Director nomination for Rufus Wainwright's "Across the Universe" at the Music Video Production Association (MVPA) Awards.<ref name=yahoo1/>

In 2003, Wiseman co-created and directed the film Underworld. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, the film did well at the box office. He directed the 2006 sequel Underworld: Evolution, and produced the follow-ups Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Underworld: Awakening, and Underworld: Blood Wars.

In 2007, he directed the fourth installment of the Die Hard series, Live Free or Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, which opened to generally favorable reviews and box office success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He directed the 2012 release Total Recall, which starred Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, and his wife Kate Beckinsale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, it was announced that Wiseman would direct a live action film version of the comic book series The Darkness (though no updates have been announced as of March 2016).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wiseman has also directed the pilot episodes of three television series—the 2010 launch of CBS's Hawaii Five-0, the 2013 pilot of Fox's Sleepy Hollow, and the 2016 pilot of Fox series Lucifer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> All three series were picked up for ongoing production, though Wiseman was not involved in further episodes.

It was announced on October 8, 2019, that Wiseman will direct the John Wick female-centric spin-off film titled Ballerina which was released on June 6, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Wiseman's first marriage was to a kindergarten teacher named Dana in 1994.<ref name="contactmusic1">Template:Cite news</ref> They divorced in 2003 after Wiseman met actor Kate Beckinsale on the set of his 2003 release Underworld.<ref name=contactmusic1/> Beckinsale also ended a relationship with her partner Michael Sheen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wiseman and Beckinsale were married on May 9, 2004, in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On November 20, 2015, it was announced that they were separating<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 2016, he filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of November 2019, their divorce was finalized.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
2003	Underworld	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Partial
2006	Underworld: Evolution	Template:Yes	Template:Partial	Template:Partial
2007	Live Free or Die Hard	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
2009	Underworld: Rise of the Lycans	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Partial
2012	Underworld: Awakening	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
	Total Recall	Template:Yes	Template:Partial	Template:No
2016	Underworld: Blood Wars	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
2025	Ballerina	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No

Other credits
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Quest of the Delta Knights	Miniature effects	Direct-to-video
1994	Stargate	Property assistant
1996	Independence Day	Assistant props
1997	Men in Black	Property assistant	Uncredited
1998	Godzilla	Props
2011	Underworld: Endless War	Characters	Animation short, uncredited

Television series

Year(s)	Title	Director	Executive Producer	Writer	Notes
2010	Hawaii Five-0	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Episode: ''Pilot''
2013–2017	Sleepy Hollow	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Partial	Creator and executive producer: 62 episodes / Director and story: ''Pilot'' / 2nd unit director: ''This Is War''
2015–2018	Lucifer	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Director: ''Pilot'' / Executive producer: 35 episodes
2017	APB	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Director: ''Hard Reset'' / Executive producer: 10 episodes
2017–2018	The Gifted	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Director: ''rX'' / Executive producer: 15 episodes
2019	Swamp Thing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Director: ''Pilot'' & ''Worlds Apart'' / Executive producer: 10 episodes

Music videos

Year	Performer	Name	Album
1999	Kiss Destination	"Dedicated to You"	Gravity
	Soak	"Shuttergut (Caroline)"	Soak
	Megadeth	"Crush 'Em"	Risk
		"Insomnia"
	Vega	"Let Me Get It"	Life on Earth
	Second Coming	"Vintage Eyes"	Second Coming
2000	En Vogue	"Riddle"	Masterpiece Theatre
2001	Static-X	"Black and White"	Machine
	Mephisto Odyssey featuring Static-X	"Crash"	The Deep Red Connection
	Brooke Allison	"The Kiss-Off (Goodbye)"	Brooke Allison
2002	Rufus Wainwright	"Across the Universe"	I Am Sam
	Quarashi	"Stick 'Em Up"	Jinx

Commercials

• Sony
• PlayStation
• Nintendo DS
• Metroid Prime Hunters<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:IMDb name