Emmy-nominated writer and director Lee Sung Jin has signed with PRETTYBIRD for U.S. commercial and music video representation. The three-time Emmy nominee and two-time WGA nominee is looking forward to bringing his sharp comedic perspective to the world of advertising.
Lee is the creator, showrunner and executive producer of the Netflix series Beef, which has been a critics’ favorite since its debut in April 2023. Lee wrote multiple episodes of Beef and directed the finale, “Figures of Light.” The series, which is currently “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with over 100 reviews, was nominated this month for 13 Primetime Emmys including two for Lee–Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He has previously written episodes of Dave on FX, Tuca & Bertie on Netflix, and Silicon Valley on HBO. His first career Emmy nod came for Silicon Valley as Outstanding Comedy Series in 2015. His two WGA Award nominations were for Silicon Valley in 2016 and Dave in 2022.
Beef follows an epic, ever escalating feud–triggered by a single, off-the-charts road rage incident–between two strangers portrayed by Ali Wong (Always Be My Maybe) and Steven Yeun (Minari, The Walking Dead). The twists and turns, while darkly entertaining, say a lot about our society, laying bare the rage, angst, ugliness and insecurities that have become so prevalent–but still managing to cast a cathartic ray of hope somehow reflecting the better side of human nature.
Ali Brown, PRETTYBIRD president, said, “The second I watched Beef, I had to find out who was behind it. Sonny has such an incredibly unique point of view–as a storyteller, filmmaker, and artist. His ability to create worlds and characters in a way that is recognizable in its stressfully hilarious familiarity makes him a perfect addition to the roster.”
At PRETTYBIRD, Lee joins an award-winning roster of filmmakers and creatives, including Academy Award-winning duo Daniels (Everything Everywhere All At Once), recently signed A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One), and comedy duo Tim & Eric.
Upcoming, Lee is writing Thunderbolts for Marvel, which will reunite him with a pair of Beef colleagues–director Jake Schreier and actor Yeun. For his role on Beef, Yeun is an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Schreier also received an Emmy nomination for his directing of the Beef episode titled “The Great Fabricator.”
New York Film Fest Preview: “The Brutalist,” “Nickel Boys,” “April,” “All We Imagine as Light”
When you think of blockbusters, the first thing that comes to mind might not be a 215-minute postwar epic screening for the first time at Lincoln Center. But that was the scene last week when the New York Film Festival hosted a 70mm print of Brady Corbet's "The Brutalist." The festival hadn't then officially begun — its 62nd edition opens Friday — but the advance press screening drew long lines — as some attendees noted, not unlike those at Ellis Island in the film — and a packed Walter Reade Theatre. Word had gotten around: "The Brutalist" is something to see. Corbet's epic, starring Adrian Brody as a Jewish architect remaking his life in Pennsylvania, is the kind of colossal cinematic construction that doesn't come around every day. Shot in VistaVision and structured like movements in a symphony (with a 15-minute intermission to boot), "The Brutalist" is indeed something to behold. It's arthouse and blockbuster in one, and, maybe, a reminder of the movies' capacity for uncompromising grandeur — and the awe that can inspire. It's been fashionable in recent years to wonder about the fate of the movies, but it can be hard to placate those concerns at the New York Film Festival. The festival prizes itself on gathering the best cinema from around the world. And this year, the movies are filled with bold forays of form and perspective that you can feel pushing film forward. This is also the time Oscar campaigns begin lurching into gear, with Q&As and cocktail parties. But, unlike last year when "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" were entrenched as favorites, the best picture race is said to be wide open. In that vacuum, movies like "The Brutalist" and the NYFF opener, RaMell Ross' "Nickel Boys," not to mention Sean Baker's "Anora" and Jacques Audiard's... Read More