Jump to content

Dan Trachtenberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dan Trachtenberg
Trachtenberg in 2025
Born (1981-05-11) May 11, 1981 (age 44)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma materTemple University
OccupationsDirector, writer, producer, podcast host
Years active1998–present
Spouse
Priscilla Hernandez
​
(m. 2011)​
Children1
Websitedantrachtenberg.com

Dan Trachtenberg (born May 11, 1981) is an American director, writer, producer, and podcast host. He made his feature film debut with 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), earning him a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film. He went on to direct and provide the story for the Predator franchise films Prey (2022), Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), and Predator: Badlands (2025). For television, he directed the pilot episodes of The Boys (2019) and The Lost Symbol (2021), as well as episodes of Black Mirror (2016).

Trachtenberg was one of three hosts of The Totally Rad Show podcast and a former co-host of the Geekdrome podcast. He also directed episodes for the Ctrl+Alt+Chicken podcast. All three programs were hosted at Revision3.

Early life and education

[edit]

Trachtenberg grew up in the Willow Grove/Upper Moreland area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] He is Jewish.[2] He has an older brother who is a film editor.[1]

Trachtenberg's parents instilled in him a love of movies and fostered their son's artistic ambitions.[3] When he was three years old, his mother helped him make a Star Wars video using action figures, toys, and kitchen utensils.[1] Unable to see PG or R-rated movies as a child, Trachtenberg would imagine the films in his mind. He would also read novelizations of films and buy film soundtracks. His parents also hired an art student to teach him how to draw comics.[3]

He attended Cheltenham High School.[2] One teacher would host movie nights which was influential in making Trachtenberg a film buff.[3] During his high school years, he worked a video store at the Willow Grove Park Mall and took screenwriting and directing classes on weekends at the University of the Arts.[2]

Trachtenberg majored in film, graduated from Temple University in 2003.[4][1]

Career

[edit]
Dane DiLiegro and Dan Trachtenberg discuss a scene while shooting Prey (2022).

Trachtenberg has directed commercials for Lexus, Nike, and Coca-Cola. In 2003, he directed the short film Kickin'. In April 2008, he joined Tight Films,[5] for which he collaborated with Matt Wolf on an alternate reality game for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

He directed the internet show, Ctrl+Alt+Chicken.

In March 2011, Trachtenberg released a short film for BlackBoxTV titled More Than You Can Chew, starring J. Kristopher, Skye Marshall and Ian Hamrick. Trachtenberg co-wrote the story with Mark D. Walker.

On August 23, 2011, Trachtenberg released the short film Portal: No Escape,[6] based on the video game Portal, which has since garnered more than twenty-eight million views on YouTube.[7]

On October 13, 2011, /Film announced that Trachtenberg would be directing a science fiction action heist film for Universal Pictures with writer Chris Morgan.[8]

In January 2013, iFanboy broke the news that Trachtenberg would direct the film adaptation of Y: The Last Man.[9] However, on September 25, 2014, /Film announced that the film had been cancelled.[10][11]

On April 3, 2014, Ain't It Cool News announced that Trachtenberg would direct a film for Bad Robot titled Valencia, which was later revealed to be a code name for 10 Cloverfield Lane.[11][12][13]

On April 30, 2018, it was announced that Dan Trachtenberg would direct the first episode of the Amazon series The Boys, replacing Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[14]

On January 14, 2019, Trachtenberg was announced to be directing a live action film adaptation of the video game series Uncharted.[15] However on August 22, 2019, it was announced he had exited the film.[16]

On November 20, 2020, it was announced that Trachtenberg had been engaged by 20th Century Studios to direct the fifth installment in the Predator film series, titled Prey.[17] For his work on the film, Trachtenberg received two nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.[18] It was reported in February 2024 that Trachtenberg was developing a new film in the Predator franchise separate from his film Prey.[19] The film, Predator: Badlands began filming by August 2024 and was released in November 2025.[20] In October 2024, it was revealed the Trachtenberg developed an animated Predator film in secret during production of Badlands.[21] The film, Predator: Killer of Killers, was released in June 2025.[22]

On June 28, 2023, it was announced that Trachtenberg would direct at least one episode in the final season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.[23] However, conflicts due to the production Predator: Badlands and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike meant that another director took his place.[24] Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers cameo in Predator: Badlands.[25] Most recently, he had signed a deal with Paramount Pictures.[26]

Personal life

[edit]

He married Priscilla Hernandez in 2011.[27] He has a daughter, born in 2016.[28]

Filmography

[edit]

Short film

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer
2003 Kickin' Yes Yes
2011 Portal: No Escape Yes Uncredited
2019 Warframe Yes No

Feature film

[edit]
Year Title Director Story Producer
2016 10 Cloverfield Lane Yes No No
2022 Prey Yes Yes No
2025 Predator: Killer of Killers Yes Yes Yes
Predator: Badlands Yes Yes Yes

Television

[edit]
Year Title Director Executive
Producer 		Episode
2011 BlackBoxTV Presents Yes No "More Than You Can Chew" (Also story writer)
2016 Black Mirror Yes No "Playtest"
2019 The Boys Yes Yes "The Name of the Game"
2021 The Lost Symbol Yes Yes "As Above, So Below"

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2017
 Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film 10 Cloverfield Lane Nominated [29]
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards Best New Filmmaker Won [30]
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Feature Debut Nominated [31]
2023
 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Prey Nominated [32]
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Rea, Steven (2016-03-12). "Meet the young director of '10 Cloverfield Lane,' out of Cheltenham High and Temple". Inquirer.com. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  2. ^ a b c Kurland, Rachel (2016-03-14). "Scare Tactics Pay off for Cheltenham's Dan Trachtenberg - Jewish Exponent". Jewish Exponent. Archived from the original on 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  3. ^ a b c Elkin, Michael (2016-03-17). "Willow Grove native Dan Trachtenberg makes directorial debut with '10 Cloverfield Lane'". Burlington County Times. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  4. ^ "Temple stars shine bright at film and television awards". Temple University. 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  5. ^ "Danny T, Russell Make tight Connection". SHOOTonline.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Dan Trachtenberg on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  7. ^ Hart, Hugh (10 January 2013). "Portal: No Escape Director Snags Y: The Last Man Movie". Wired. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Portal: No Escape Helmer Dan Trachtenberg To Direct Sci-fi Heist Movie 'Crime of the Century' For Universal". /Film. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Breaking: Dan Trachtenberg To Direct Y: The Last Man". iFanboy. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  10. ^ "The Y: The Last Man Movie Is Dead Again; Dan Trachtenberg Talks About the Adaptation". /Film. September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Dan Trachtenberg will no longer be making his debut with Y:The Last Man and will instead direct Valencia for Bad Robot!". Ain't It Cool News. April 3, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  12. ^ Chitwood, Adam (January 14, 2016). "10 Cloverfield Lane Is the Title of J.J. Abrams' Secret Bad Robot Movie". Collider.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  13. ^ Sciretta, Peter (January 14, 2016). "Bad Robot's 10 Cloverfield Lane Trailer: Is This Cloverfield 2?". /Film. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (April 30, 2018). "'The Boys': Dan Trachtenberg To Direct First Episode Of Superhero Drama Series For Amazon". Deadline. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "'10 Cloverfield Lane' Director Boards 'Uncharted' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)!". Variety. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  16. ^ "PlayStation Boards Sony Pic 'Uncharted' With Tom Holland; Studio Closing In On Director After Dan Trachtenberg Exits". Deadline. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Fleming, Mike (November 20, 2020). "'Predator' Returning With '10 Cloverfield Lane' Helmer Dan Trachtenberg At 20th Century Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Sherman, Rachel (July 12, 2023). "Emmy Nominees 2023: The Complete List". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 9, 2024). "Dan Trachtenberg To Direct New Standalone 'Predator' Movie 'Badlands' As 20th Century Expands On Universe". Deadline. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Hamman, Cody (August 27, 2024). "Predator: Badlands details revealed by casting call". JoBlo.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  21. ^ Kit, Borys (2024-10-24). "A Secret 'Predator' Movie, An 'Alien' Sequel and 'Speed 3' on the Table: A Chat with 20th Century Studios Boss Steve Asbell". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  22. ^ "'Predator' Director Hints at Arnold Schwarzenegger Return". Newsweek. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  23. ^ "Dan Trachtenberg Is Headed to the Upside Down". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  24. ^ Hamman, Cody (2025-11-05). "Predator: Badlands kept Dan Trachtenberg from directing Stranger Things episode". JoBlo. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  25. ^ Gearan, Hannah (2025-11-06). "Predator: Badlands' Perfect Stranger Things Cameo Explained: "They Were Freaking Out"". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  26. ^ Kroll, Matt Grobar,Justin (2026-02-05). "Dan Trachtenberg Signs First-Look Deal With Paramount". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Chen, David (2011-11-01). "Dan and Priscilla's Wedding". The Life and Times of David Chen. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  28. ^ Trachtenberg, Dan (2016-10-03). "One week ago our daughter LUNA was born. She's doing awesome and mom is still recovering". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  29. ^ "69th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  30. ^ "The Hawaii Film Critics Society 2016 List". Hawaii Film Critics Society. January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  31. ^ "21st Annual Film Awards (2016)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "Dan Trachtenberg". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dan_Trachtenberg&oldid=1340331756"