Thunder Levin is an American screenwriter and director, known for writing the first four Sharknado television films.[1][2] Levin's work was largely responsible for the resurgence of sharksploitation films.[3]
Thunder Levin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Thunder Levin 20th century New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | Sharknado |
Early life and education
editLevin was born and raised in New York City. His father, Michael, was an award-winning journalist, while his mother, Glenis, was an immigrant from Liverpool, England.
He graduated from Hunter College High School, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film from New York University.[4]
Career
editEarly career
editLevin moved to Los Angeles at the age of 23. In the late 1980s, he worked as a still photographer on three films for the film producer Roger Corman.[1]
His feature-film directorial debut was the 2008 horror comedy Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!,[5][6] starring C. Thomas Howell.[5][7]
Levin subsequently wrote and directed multiple films for production company The Asylum,[8] including the 2012 science-fiction action film American Warships and the 2013 science fiction film AE: Apocalypse Earth.
Sharknado
editIn 2013, Levin wrote the made-for-television disaster film Sharknado, about a tornado of shark-infested seawater. The film's debut on the Syfy cable channel attracted nearly 1.37 million viewers and generated nearly 5,000 tweets a minute at its peak.[9]
In 2014, Levin wrote a sequel, Sharknado 2: The Second One, which had 3.9 million viewers.[10] Levin subsequently wrote two more sequels, 2015's Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and 2016's Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.
Sharknado became a pop-culture phenomenon, ultimately spawning five sequels, a video game, a book, a one-shot comic book, a documentary, and a mockumentary.
Filmography
edit| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zombie Tidal Wave | 2019 | story by | [11] |
| The Last Sharknado: It's About Time | 2018 | based on characters created by | also appeared as "Bar Patron"[10] |
| Megalodon | 2018 | story by | |
| Geo-Disaster | 2017 | director, written by | |
| Sharknado 5: Global Swarming | 2017 | based on characters created by | |
| Creature Features | 2017 | appeared as self | TV series |
| Mind Blown | 2016 | written by | |
| Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | 2016 | written by | |
| Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy | 2015 | appeared as self | documentary |
| Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! | 2015 | written by | also appeared as "Mr. Benchley from The Post" |
| Infolist Pre Comic-Con Bash | 2015 | appeared as self | documentary short |
| Weekends with Alex Witt | 2014 | appeared as self | TV series |
| Sharknado 2: The Second One | 2014 | written by | |
| Sharknado | 2013 | written by | |
| From the Sea | 2013 | screenplay by | |
| AE: Apocalypse Earth | 2013 | director, written by | |
| American Warships | 2012 | director, writer | |
| 200 M.P.H. | 2011 | written by | |
| Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! | 2008 | director, written by, executive producer | |
| Venice Beach Sketches | 2002 | editor | |
| Soulmates aka Evil Lives | 1992 | director | |
| Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II | 1989 | still photographer | |
| Stripped to Kill II: Live Girls | 1989 | still photographer | |
| Saturday the 14th Strikes Back | 1988 | still photographer | |
| Hydrosub: 2021 | 1987 | off-line assistant / production associate / appeared as "Crewman" | video game |
| The Rescue of Pops Ghostly | 1987 | off-line assistant / production associate | video game |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Wiser, Curt (December 3, 2019). "Interview With Sharknado Writer Thunder Levin". OC Movie Reviews.
- ^ Bradley, Bill (July 22, 2015). "7 Glaring 'Sharknado' Plot Holes Are Finally Explained". HuffPost.
- ^ Hill, Kent (November 20, 2016). "Thunder Levin: An Interview by Kent Hill". Podcasting Them Softly.
- ^ "Chatting With Sherri Welcomes Producer/Director/Writer; Thunder Levin!". BlogTalkRadio. September 28, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Dendle, Peter (2012). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000-2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 133–134. ISBN 978-0-7864-6163-9.
- ^ Suebsaeng, Asawin (July 11, 2013). "Can a "Sharknado" Really Happen?". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Mutant Vampire Zombies From the Hood!". Variety. July 7, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ Salt, Paul (July 9, 2019). "Thunder Levin Interview: Sharknado Writer Talks The Asylum, Science and Why He's Never Made a Mockbuster". Screen Mayhem. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ Banks, Paul M. (August 6, 2017). "Sharknado Writer, Field Museum Scientist Gave Fascinating Insights into Film". The Bank. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ a b France, Lisa Respers (March 29, 2018). "'Sharknado' set to end with No. 6". CNN.
- ^ "Zombie Tidal Wave". SyFy.