Dean Israelite

South African film director

Dean Israelite

Israelite in 2016

Born|  (1984-09-20) September 20, 1984 (age 39)

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Occupation(s)| Film director, writer, producer
Years active| 2006–present
Known for| Project Almanac
Power Rangers
Relatives| Jonathan Liebesman (cousin)
Jason Xenopoulos (cousin)[1]

Dean Israelite (born September 20, 1984) is a South African film director, writer, and producer, best known for directing the found footage film Project Almanac (2015), the 2017 reboot of Power Rangers, and the 2019 reboot of Are You Afraid of the Dark.

## Early life[edit]

Israelite was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and studied Dramatic Art at the University of the Witwatersrand.[2] He moved to Australia and graduated in Film and Television from Curtin University, then earned his MFA from the American Film Institute.[2] His cousin is director Jonathan Liebesman.[3] He is of Jewish background.[4]

## Career[edit]

Israelite started his career with writing and directing several short films, including Acholiland.[2]

In 2015, Israelite made his feature film directing debut with the found footage science fiction thriller Project Almanac, based on the script by Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman.[5][6] Michael Bay produced the film, which was released on January 30, 2015 by Paramount Pictures, grossing more than $32 million with a budget of $12 million.[7] Israelite directed Lionsgate's Power Rangers film (2017), based on the screenplay by John Gatins, with a story by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Michelle Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney,[8] which was released on March 24, 2017 by Lionsgate Films, grossing $142.3 million against a production budget of $100 million.[9] It was a box office failure, losing the studio an estimated $74 million, when factoring in all revenues and expenses.[10]

### Future and cancelled projects[edit]

In February 2014, Israelite was among the directors who were being eyed by the Marvel Studios to direct the superhero film Doctor Strange,[11] but later in June 2014 Scott Derrickson was confirmed as director.[12]

In June 2014, Israelite was set to direct the remake of the 1983 film WarGames for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on the script by Arash Amel.[2]

Israelite is set to direct Unexplained Phenomenon from the screenplay by Andrew Deutschman & Jason Pagan, for Amblin Entertainment and The Picture Company.[13]

## Filmography[edit]

Short film

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer

|
|
|

2006  | Magician | Yes  | Yes
2007  | The Department of Nothing | Yes  | Yes
2009  | Acholiland | Yes  | Yes

Feature film

* Project Almanac (2015)
* Power Rangers (2017)
* Little Wing (2024)

Television

Year  | Title  | Director  | Executive
Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|

2008  | Die Jugendcops - Kommissariat 105 im Einsatz | Yes  | No  |
2020-2021  | The Astronauts | Yes  | Yes  | Directed 5 episodes
2019-2022  | Are You Afraid of the Dark?' | Yes  | Yes  | Directed 7 episodes

## References[edit]

1. ^ IMDB Clint Warren Trivia, retrieved 1 May 2020.
2. ^ a b c d Fleming, Mike Jr. (24 June 2014). "MGM's 'WarGames' Reboot Lands Helmer Dean Israelite, Scribe Arash Amel". deadline.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
3. ^ Thompson, Bill Desowitz,Anne. "Comic-Con 2014: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' 3D Reboot vs. Low-Tech 'Project Almanac' | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 21 November 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Jews in the Newz".
5. ^ "Power Rangers Movie Will Be "Mature but Still Playful," Says Director". ign.com. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
6. ^ Kit, Borys (5 February 2014). "Paramount Postpones Michael Bay-Produced 'Welcome to Yesterday' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
7. ^ "Project Almanac (2015)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
8. ^ Alexander, Julia. "Watch the first teaser trailer for the Power Rangers movie". Polygon. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
9. ^ "Power Rangers (2017)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
10. ^ "Biggest Money Losers, Based on Absolute Loss on Worldwide Earnings". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
11. ^ Kit, Borys (20 February 2014). "'Doctor Strange' Heating Up as Marvel Vets Directors (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
12. ^ Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (3 June 2014). "Scott Derrickson to Direct Marvel's 'Doctor Strange'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
13. ^ Crittenton, Anya (10 October 2017). "Amblin Acquires Supernatural Pitch "Unexplained Phenomenon" from "Paranormal Activity" Writing Duo". The Tracking Board. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

## External links[edit]

* Dean Israelite at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Dean Israelite

* Project Almanac (2015)
* Power Rangers (2017)
* Little Wing (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Korea
* Poland

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

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