Ruben Fleischer: Episode 72

It’s the seventy-second episode of On The List with Brett Gursky. This week's guest Ruben Fleischer talks all about his career as a director. Ruben and Brett talk about his latest movie “Uncharted”, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, which was just the #1 movie in the world for 2 weeks in a row. Ruben gives Brett all the behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the film, including what it was like filming in Berlin during a global pandemic… especially when their original start date was March 16th, 2020. Then Ruben takes Brett back to the beginning, from growing up in Washington D.C. and making home movies to attending college at Wesleyan University as a history major. Ruben talks about his first gig as a P.A. on “Dawson’s Creek”, which was followed by a job as director Miguel Arteta’s assistant. Ruben explains how he got to direct his first movie “Zombieland” in 2009, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Woody Harrelson, and Bill Murray- and how it catapulted his career. Then Ruben tells Brett how he chose his next film “30 Minutes Or Less”, starring Jesse Eisenberg again, alongside Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Swardson. From there, they talk about Ruben’s third movie “Gangster Squad”, starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and a reunion with Emma Stone. Ruben also discusses directing the pilots for the hit NBC show “Superstore” (which he also produced), the ABC sitcom “American Housewife”, and the Netflix series “Santa Clarita Diet”, which starred Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. Then Ruben shares stories about the making of his next two films- “Venom” starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Riz Ahmed, and “Zombieland: Double Tap”, which reunited the original cast 10 years later. Of course Brett asks Ruben if there will be more “Zombieland” and “Uncharted” movies in his future. Last but not least, Ruben shares his advice for aspiring filmmakers. Be sure to check out “Uncharted” now playing at a theater near you.