# Rupert Wyatt

Rupert Wyatt (born 26 October 1972) is an English filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the 2008 film The Escapist, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His second film was the 2011 blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes. His later directorial endeavors have included the 2014 crime drama The Gambler, the 2019 sci-fi film Captive State, and the first two episodes of the television adaptation of The Mosquito Coast in 2021. He also has served as an executive producer on the series.

## Early life

Wyatt was born and raised near Winchester in Hampshire. He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford and Winchester College, Winchester.

## Career
### Producing

Wyatt is the founder of the film collective Picture Farm, which has produced numerous shorts, documentaries and features, including the Sundance Award-winning documentary Dark Days.

### Directing

He also co-wrote and directed the British prison escape thriller The Escapist (2008), starring Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, Dominic Cooper, Joseph Fiennes, Seu Jorge, Steven Mackintosh and Liam Cunningham. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, was nominated for eight international film awards, and was the winner of two. In March 2010, he was selected to direct Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise, which was based on a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The film was released on 5 August 2011 to mostly positive reviews and grossed more than $481 million worldwide.
Wyatt was to be the director of 20th Century Fox's X-Men spin-off film Gambit, to be released on 7 October 2016, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
He directed the 2019 sci-fi film Captive State.
In 2023 he started production on his first animated Feature Film - The Sunrise File - A French / American co production starring Brian Cox, Yvan Attal, and Diane Kruger.
2025 will see the release of his upcoming feature film as writer and director - Desert Warrior - A 7th Century historical epic filmed over 4 years in the deserts of Arabia
His next film announced as director is the thriller - Boxman - After a failed bank heist, nineteen people are trapped in a high-tech vault. The FBI enlists an expert safe-cracker to rescue them before they run out of air.

## Personal life

Wyatt currently lives between New York City and Hudson, New York.

## Filmography

Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
| 1999 | Ticks | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004 | Get the Picture | Yes | Yes | No | |

### Feature film

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 2003 | Subterrain | Yes | Yes | |
| 2008 | The Escapist | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Yes | No | |
| 2014 | The Gambler | Yes | No | Also music supervisor |
| 2019 | Captive State | Yes | Yes | Also producer |
| TBA | Desert Warrior | Yes | Yes | Post-production |
Other credits
* Fishing Without Nets (2014) (Executive producer)
* Animal Farm (2025) (Executive Producer and Co-story credit with Andy Serkis)

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
| 2014 | Turn: Washington's Spies | Yes | No | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2016 | The Exorcist | Yes | Yes | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2021 | The Mosquito Coast | Yes | Yes | 2 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Title | Award/Nomination |
| 2008 | The Escapist | Nominated – British Independent Film – Douglas Hickox Award Nominated – Evening Standard British Award for Most Promising Newcomer Nominated – London Critics Film Award for Breakthrough British Filmmaker |
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Nominated – Empire Award for Best Director Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director |