Juel Taylor
EducationUniversity of Florida
University of Southern California
Years active2012–present

Juel Taylor is an American filmmaker. He wrote Creed II (2018), Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) and They Cloned Tyrone (2023) with his writing partner Tony Rettenmaier.

Early life and education

Taylor was initially interested in studying video game design when he attended college at the University of Florida.[1]

His first introduction to making movies was a music video he created for his college's digital arts program. Taylor then studied film as a graduate student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, where he met Rettenmaier.[2]

Career

In 2017, Taylor co-directed Actors Anonymous,[3] the feature film adaptation of James Franco's novel of the same name. The film screened at Cinequest[4] and the Newport Beach Film Festival.[5]

For They Cloned Tyrone, Taylor largely based the fictional neighborhood of the movie on the area where he grew up.[6][7] He cites questions around blame and responsibility and experiences with friends in unfortunate circumstances as the inspiration for the film.[8] The draft changed through the pitching process, eventually leading to the movie being produced as a Netflix feature film.[9] In the editing process, Taylor cited Guillermo del Toro for his help on several scenes.

Filmography

Short film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorNotes
2013Shoebox
2017Riotville
2023NightbearCo-directed with Joel Marsh

Feature film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducer
2017Actors Anonymous
2018Creed II
2021Space Jam: A New Legacy
2023Young. Wild. Free.
Shooting Stars
They Cloned Tyrone

Television

YearTitleNotes
2013Fred UnpluggedTV movie
A Guy, a Girl, and Their MonsterEpisode "Monster Off"
2019BoomerangEpisode "Housekeeping"
2020TwentiesEpisodes "You Know How I Like It" and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing"

References

  1. ^ Ugwu, Reggie (2023-07-21). "The Personal Back Story Driving 'They Cloned Tyrone'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  2. ^ "Creating Time and Space with 'They Cloned Tyrone' Filmmakers Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier". Script Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  3. ^ Aitkenhead, Melanie; Corbin, Abi Damaris; Duffy, Shaun (2017-03-05), "Actors Anonymous" (Drama), Elysium Bandini Studios, RabbitBandini Productions, retrieved 2024-03-05
  4. ^ "Actors Anonymous | Cinequest". cinequest.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  5. ^ Penaloza, Si Si (2017-04-29). "The Newport Beach Film Festival Goes Deeper". JetsetMag.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  6. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About 'They Cloned Tyrone'". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  7. ^ Taylor, Juel (2023-07-21), "They Cloned Tyrone" (Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi), Federal Films, MACRO, Made With Love Media, retrieved 2024-03-05
  8. ^ Detrow, Scott (July 14, 2023). "John Boyega and Juel Taylor talk new existential thriller 'They Cloned Tyrone'". All Things Considered (NPR). Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  9. ^ Davids, Brian (2023-08-13). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Filmmaker Juel Taylor Talks the Epilogue and Editing With Guillermo del Toro". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-20.