Josh Trank
Birth nameJoshua Benjamin Trank
Birth dateFebruary 19, 1984 (age 42)
Birth placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • film editor
Years active2007–present
SpouseKrystin Ver Linden (m. 2013; div. 2017)
RelativesJudy Toll (stepmother)

Joshua Benjamin Trank (born February 19, 1984)[1][2] is an American film director, screenwriter, and film editor. He is known for directing the found-footage sci-fi thriller film Chronicle (2012), the superhero film Fantastic Four (2015), and the Al Capone biographical film Capone (2020).

Early life

Josh Trank was born in Los Angeles to school teacher Pamela Trank and documentary filmmaker Richard Trank. His father produced the Academy Award winning documentary The Long Way Home.[3] Trank also has a younger sister and is Jewish. He spent much of his childhood scanning Hollywood and enjoying the sights it had to offer. When Trank was 13, his parents divorced and later his father remarried to comedian Judy Toll, who later died from skin cancer. He was initially uncomfortable with her, but they ultimately bonded when Toll pushed him into entertainment when she invited him to perform with The Groundlings. "[The] experience, changed me...I think about her still, like, every day, and I miss her tremendously."[4] In 2002, Trank graduated from Beverly Hills High School.

In 2020, he revealed that he had been sexually abused several times when he was between five and six years old, which later in life gave him problems like anger issues, before he began therapy.[5]

Career

During an interview with Kevin Smith on the podcast Fatman on Batman, Trank discussed the origins of his career at length. He attributed his YouTube video "Stabbing at Leia's 22nd Birthday", which became very popular overnight after its release,[citation needed] as a significant breakthrough point for his career. Following this, Trank wrote and directed spin-off webisodes for the 2007 Spike TV drama miniseries The Kill Point. In 2009, Trank edited the independent film Big Fan, starring Patton Oswalt. He was also credited as a co-producer and had a small acting role in the film.

In 2011, Trank directed his first feature film, Chronicle.[6] It was released on February 3, 2012, by 20th Century Fox and grossed over $125 million worldwide.[7] Chronicle, made for a budget of $12 million, was received positively by critics, earning an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes.[8] With the release of Chronicle, Trank became the youngest director to open a film at number one at the US box office, at age 27.[9] He is followed by Steven Spielberg (28, with Jaws) and James Cameron (30, with The Terminator).[10] After the release of Chronicle, Trank was linked to Sony's Spider-Man spin-off Venom,[11] Warner Bros.'s The Red Star,[12] and Sony's film adaptation of the video game Shadow of the Colossus;[13] however, Trank turned down those film projects, despite turning in a pitch of a R-rated film of Venom in the vein of The Mask that he wrote with his mentor Robert D. Siegel.[14][15][16]

Trank directed the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four,[17][18] which was released in August 2015. The film flopped at the box office and was critically panned; it received a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes[19] and a 27 out of 100 rating from Metacritic.[20] Trank became the subject of controversy when he posted and quickly deleted a message on Twitter prior to the release of the film, apparently blaming the poor reviews on changes imposed by the studio, claiming to have originally cut a completely different film which would have been much better.[21] Equally dissatisfied with the final film, actor Toby Kebbell, who worked with Trank on the film, supported Trank's claim.[22] However, in early 2020, Trank stated that there were several scenes he was unable to film, making a director's cut highly improbable.[4]

In June 2014, it was announced that Trank would direct a stand-alone Star Wars film about Boba Fett,[23][24] but he left the project less than a year later. Trank indicated this was a personal decision, but several outlets stated that he was dismissed from the project due to issues during production of Fantastic Four, primarily a lack of communication with the film's producers, and that Lucasfilm had decided to pursue another director.[25] Trank told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that the reason he left the film was because he wanted to do something original and smaller-scale, due to the amount of online scrutiny he received during the filming of Fantastic Four.[26]

In 2020, following a five-year hiatus from directing, Trank wrote and directed his original Al Capone biopic Capone, with Tom Hardy starring.[27] It was released through video on demand on May 12, 2020,[28] receiving mixed reviews from critics.[29]

In May 2020, it was announced that Trank was developing a television series about the CIA, with Hardy starring.[30]

In March 2025, it was announced that Trank will be directing a horror-thriller film, Send a Scare, with Victoria Justice, Robbie Amell, Noel Fisher, and Mackinlee Waddell set to star in.[31]

Style

Trank has mentioned that he is interested in a deconstruction approach in his movies; "the deconstruction of myth, the deconstruction of iconic figures, the deconstruction of mythic ideas".[32]

Personal life

In early October 2013, Trank married screenwriter Krystin Ver Linden; they divorced in 2017.[4] He deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts in June 2020.[33]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
2012ChronicleCo-wrote story with Max Landis
2015Fantastic FourCo-wrote with Jeremy Slater and Simon Kinberg
2020Capone Also editor

Acting credits

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009Big FanWrong Phil's Buddy
2013Arrested DevelopmentProcess Server BumEpisode "A New Start"
2020Capone Agent Clifford M. Harris
2021On CinemaHimselfEpisode: "The Eight On Cinema Oscar Special"

Other credits

YearTitleRole
2009Big FanCo-producer, editor and second unit director
2011The LieSecond unit director
2021HappilyThanks

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultSource
2013Online Film & Television AssociationBest Feature DebutChronicle[34]
2015Razzie AwardsWorst DirectorFantastic Four[35]
Worst Screenplay

References

  1. ^ According to someone California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. "California Births, 1905 - 1995". Family Tree Legends. Archived September 6, 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ "'Chronicle' the No. 1 movie after a big viral push". Chicago Sun-Times. February 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Reed, Becky (February 1, 2012). "Q&a: Chronicle Director Josh Trank". DIY. DIY. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  4. ^ Patches, Matt (May 5, 2020). "The post-disaster artist". Polygon. Archived May 5, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "EXCLUSIVE! Josh Trank Interview! 1 on 1 with Kristian Harloff". YouTube. May 11, 2020. Archived August 19, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Caraotta, Alison (January 31, 2012). "Q&A: Josh Trank, Director Of 'Chronicle' On The Origins of the Film, And More". Starpulse.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  7. ^ "Chronicle's Box office". Archived July 11, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "Chronicle on Rotten Tomatoes (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. February 3, 2012. Archived May 31, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  9. ^ Gant, Charles (February 7, 2012). "Chronicle makes a new UK box office record". The Guardian. Archived June 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Pandya, Gitesh. "Weekend Box Office (February 3–5, 2012)". Boxofficeguru.com. Archived February 5, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  11. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (March 6, 2012). "Chronicle's Josh Trank Looks to Spit Some Venom". Los Angeles Times. Archived August 8, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  12. ^ Fleming, Mike (March 20, 2012). "'Chronicle' Helmer Josh Trank Lands On 'The Red Star' At Warner Bros". Deadline Hollywood. Archived March 4, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Chronicle Director to Make Shadow of The Colossus Movie". IGN.com. May 23, 2012. Archived May 25, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  14. ^ Patten, Dominic (December 13, 2013). "Sony Sets Spider-Man Spinoffs 'Venom,' 'Sinister Six' With New "Franchise Brain Trust"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived December 15, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 4, 2014). "Andrés Muschietti to Direct 'Shadow of the Colossus' Adaptation for Sony". Variety. Archived September 8, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  16. ^ Wilding, Josh (September 4, 2014). "Mama Director Andrés Muschietti to Helm Video Game Adaptation Shadow of the Colossus". HeyUGuys. Archived September 6, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  17. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (July 11, 2012). "Comic-Con: Fox Sets Reboots Of 'Fantastic Four', 'Daredevil' (Minus David Slade), Puts Joe Cornish On 'Rust'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived September 6, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  18. ^ Keyes, Rob (February 27, 2014). "Mark Millar Promises Big Things From Josh Trank's 'Fantastic Four' Reboot". Screenrant. Archived November 14, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  19. ^ "Fantastic Four (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. August 7, 2015. Archived September 1, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  20. ^ "Fantastic Four". Metacritic. Archived August 18, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  21. ^ Breznican, Anthony (August 7, 2015). "Why did Fantastic Four director Josh Trank slam his own movie? Honesty comes with a high price in Hollywood ... but what is the truth?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived April 23, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  22. ^ Scott, Ryan (June 8, 2016). "Fantastic Four Actor Says There's a Great Cut We'll Never See". Movieweb. Archived January 8, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  23. ^ Gaughan, Liam (February 23, 2023). "What Would Josh Trank's Planned 'Star Wars' Movie Have Looked Like?". Collider. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  24. ^ Graser, Marc (June 4, 2014). "'Chronicle' Director Josh Trank to Helm Standalone 'Star Wars' Movie". Variety. Archived June 22, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  25. ^ Masters, Kim & Kit, Borys (May 1, 2015). "Inside a 'Star Wars' Firing: 'Fantastic Four' Problems Led to Director Josh Trank's Ouster". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived November 8, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  26. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (June 4, 2015). "Josh Trank sets the story straight on why he left 'Star Wars'". Los Angeles Times. Archived May 14, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  27. ^ McNary, Dave (October 29, 2016). "AFM: Tom Hardy to Star as Al Capone in 'Fonzo'". Variety. Archived April 1, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  28. ^ Sharf, Zack (April 15, 2020). "'Capone' Trailer: Tom Hardy and Josh Trank's 'Fonzo' Gets New Title and First Footage". IndieWire. Archived April 23, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  29. ^ "Capone (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived May 13, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  30. ^ Chitwood, Adam (May 14, 2020). "Josh Trank Says He's Developing a Limited Series About the CIA for Tom Hardy". Collider. Archived June 23, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  31. ^ Gomez, Dessi (2025-03-21). "Robbie Amell And Victoria Justice To Star In Josh Trank's 'Send A Scare' Horror-Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  32. ^ Vinney, Cynthia (May 12, 2020). "Josh Trank Discusses Capone, and Fantastic Four's Failure". CBR. Archived June 11, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  33. ^ Chapman, Tom (June 27, 2020). "Josh Trank Gives Final Word on Fantastic Four, Deletes Social Media Accounts". CBR. Archived September 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  34. ^ "17th Annual Film Awards (2012)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  35. ^ Rahman, Abid (2016-02-27). "‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Tops Razzie Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-04-27.