Neil Burger

Neil Norman Burger (born November 22, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary Interview with the Assassin (2002), the period drama The Illusionist (2006), Limitless (2011), and the sci-fi action film Divergent (2014).[2]

Neil Burger
Burger in June 2015
Born
Neil Norman Burger

(1963-11-22) November 22, 1963
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
Occupation(s)Film director, writer, producer
Years active1987-present
Notable workInterview with the Assassin, The Illusionist, Limitless, Divergent
Spouse
Diana Warner Kellogg
​
​
(m. 1997)​
[1]

Life and career

Burger was born in Greenwich, Connecticut. After graduating from Yale University with a degree in fine arts, he became involved with experimental film in the 1980s and went on to direct music videos for such alternative artists as the Meat Puppets. He approached MTV about creating and directing a series of inspiring promotional announcements for what would be the MTV Books: Feed Your Head campaign against aliteracy. In association with Ridley Scott Associates, he directed commercials for companies including Mastercard, IBM and ESPN, and created a series of television spots for Amnesty International and their campaign for prisoners of conscience.

Burger made his directorial feature debut with Interview with the Assassin in 2002, which he also wrote. It won the Best Feature Film category at the Woodstock Film Festival and Avignon Film Festival, and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Film and Best First Screenplay.

Burger’s follow up feature was The Illusionist, starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. His screenplay for the film was based on the short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" by Steven Millhauser. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opened the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival and the 2007 Deauville Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards and Best Cinematography at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Burger's additional credits include the 2007 post-Iraq War indie drama The Lucky Ones, starring Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, and Michael Peña; and Limitless (2011), starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, which opened at #1 at the box office and grossed over $160 million worldwide.[3][4]

In 2014, Burger directed the film Divergent, based on the novel by Veronica Roth. Shailene Woodley starred alongside Theo James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort and Ashley Judd. Released by Lionsgate, it grossed over $280 million worldwide,. Making it Burger's most commercially successful film to date.

Following Divergent, Burger directed the first two episodes of Showtime’s Wall Street drama Billions, starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis. He then served as an executive producer on CBS’s TV adaptation of Limitless. His additional credits include the Divergent series films Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016).[5]

Burger most recently directed The Upside,[6] a remake of the French hit The Intouchables. Starring Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, it was theatrically released in January 2019.[7]

Burger currently resides in New York City with his wife, architect Diana Kellogg, and their family.[1]

Filmography
Year Title Director Writer Producer
1991 Books: Feed Your Head Yes No No
2002 Interview with the Assassin Yes Yes No
2006 The Illusionist Yes Yes No
2007 The Lucky Ones Yes Yes Yes
2011 Limitless Yes No Executive
2012 The Asset Yes No No
2014 Divergent Yes No No
2016 The Jury Yes No No
Billions Yes No Executive
2017 The Upside Yes No No
2021 Voyagers Yes Yes Yes
2023 The Marsh King's Daughter Yes No No
TBA Summer Frost[8] Yes No No

Executive producer only

References
  1. "Weddings: Diane W. Kellogg, Neil N. Burger" (1997-06-01). The New York Times (NYTimes.com). Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  2. Vineyard, Jennifer (1 August 2013). "Divergent Director Neil Burger Has an Advanced Copy of Allegiant, and He Hasn't Read it Yet". Vulture. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  3. Davis, Edward. "Exclusive: Neil Burger Talks 'Limitless,' Working With Robert De Niro & Making Mid-Budgeted Sci-Fi | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  4. Cinema Fusion Archived 2008-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on January 17, 2007
  5. "Bride of Frankenstein comes to life-The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Business". Riskybusinessblog.com. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  6. McNary, Dave (2016-08-25). "Neil Burger to Direct Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston in 'Intouchables' Remake". Variety. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  7. Fleming, Mike Jr. (2016-08-25). "Neil Burger To Direct Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart In TWC's 'Intouchables'". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  8. Kroll, Justin (June 24, 2020). "'Divergent' Filmmaker to Direct 'Summer Frost' for Skydance and Temple Hill (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
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