Uwe Boll

Uwe Boll (German: [ˈuːvə ˈbɔl]; born June 22, 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises which often starred international stars like Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, Elisabeth Moss, Nate Parker, J. K. Simmons and Ben Kingsley. Released theatrically, the films were critical and commercial failures; his 2005 Alone in the Dark adaptation is considered one of the worst films ever made. Boll's films during the 2010s, comprising mostly original projects and independent movies, received home media releases to better, although still mostly negative reviews. After retiring in 2016 to become a restaurateur, Boll announced his return to filmmaking in 2020. His films are financed through his production companies Boll KG and Event Film Productions. Boll was born in Wermelskirchen and studied at the University of Cologne. He holds a PhD in literature; in 1994, he published a dissertation (doctorate thesis) at the University of Siegen. Boll first decided to go into the movie business at ten years old after seeing Marlon Brando's Mutiny on the Bounty.