Jonathan Liebesman has built his brand as a director by beating out fierce competition to helm the live-action adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise for Paramount & Michael Bay.
Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Liebesman studied filmmaking at the South African School of Film and Drama and at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. His student short, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's Genesis and Catastrophe, earned him the Student Short Film Award at the 2000 Austin Film Festival and the Hollywood Young Filmmaker Award at the 2000 Hollywood Film Festival, which lead to him directing his first feature film at the age of 26.
Liebesman's debut feature garnered the attention of Michael Bay and his production company, Platinum Dunes, who then asked him to direct The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (New Line Cinema, 2006), a prequel to the popular franchise. He has since been pursued by major studios who recognize him for both his talent and the continued box office success of his films.
Liebesman's more recent credits include the worldwide hit Battle: Los Angeles (Columbia Pictures, 2011) and Wrath of the Titans (Warner Bros., 2012).
Paramount Pictures
