Fede Álvarez

Early life

Álvarez was born in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Career

In 2009, Álvarez released his short film Ataque de Pánico! on YouTube. Before premiering online, the film screened on October 31, 2009, at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre film festival. A few weeks later, Álvarez made a deal with Ghost House Pictures to direct a $30–$40 million sci-fi film. His first project with Ghost House ended up being the direction and co-writing of the Evil Dead remake. After the release of Evil Dead, Álvarez stated that he had "had the temptation to do big franchises", but instead directed and co-wrote the relatively low budget horror film Don't Breathe (2016), which received positive reviews. Álvarez later revealed that during this period he was approached by Marvel Studios to direct an unspecified movie; however, he declined, feeling he would have little creative control over it. In 2017, Álvarez teamed up with Good Universe to set up their own production company, Bad Hombre.

Álvarez directed The Girl in the Spider's Web, a reboot of the English-language The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, based on the novel of the same name. The film featured an entirely new cast compared to the 2011 film, and it was released on November 9, 2018. In April 2019, Álvarez, alongside Doug Liman, directed reshoots for the 2021 film Chaos Walking, which added an additional $15 million to the film's budget.

In 2021, Álvarez directed all nine episodes of Calls for Apple TV+, a primarily audio-based series with animated visual components. He also co-wrote and co-produced Don't Breathe 2, which was released on August 13, 2021, directed by Rodo Sayagues. In 2024, he wrote and directed Alien: Romulus. Later that year, he presented the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. Fede is writing the script for the sequel to Alien: Romulus but is stepping down as director but will remain as a producer.

Unrealized projects

Álvarez was attached to direct a live-action adaptation of the video game Dante's Inferno for Universal Pictures in September 2013, however no further updates have been provided since the announcement. In May 2016, Álvarez was attached to direct an adaptation of Monsterpocalypse for Warner Bros. In October 2016, Álvarez was brought on to direct an adaptation of Incognito for Sony Pictures, based on a script by Daniel Casey. Álvarez was considered to replace Ben Affleck as director for The Batman.

On April 13, 2017, Álvarez was confirmed to direct and co-write a spin-off to Labyrinth with Nicole Perlman and Jay Basu. However, in April 2020, Álvarez announced that he had stepped down as director.

Personal life

He is the son of Uruguayan journalist, writer, and professor Luciano Álvarez. He lives in Los Angeles.

He is a fan of Peñarol and has included symbols of the club in films such as Alien: Romulus.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

Short films

Other credits

References

References

1. "Berlinale Talents - Federico Alvarez Mattos".
2. Fourment, Belen. (29 December 2024). "El año del uruguayo que hizo una de las grandes películas del mundo y es casi anónimo en los bares de Montevideo".
3. "Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre 2009 - Competencia Cortos".
4. Billington, Alex. (29 November 2009). "Panic Attack Director Federico Álvarez Lands a Film at Ghost House". FirstShowing.net.
5. Miska, Brad. (12 July 2011). "BREAKING: Director for 'The Evil Dead' Reboot!". [[Bloody Disgusting]].
6. (13 March 2016). "Interview: Director Fede Álvarez on Don't Breathe".
7. (29 July 2016). "Did Fede Álvarez Turn Down Marvel's Doctor Strange?".
8. McNary, Dave. (2017-02-06). "'Don't Breathe' Director Fede Álvarez Partners With Good Universe for Bad Hombre".
9. "The Girl In The Spider's Web (2018) - Rotten Tomatoes".
10. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (February 7, 2020). "'Chaos Walking' Eyes January 2021 Release".
11. Welk, Brian. (November 3, 2018). "'Don't Breathe 2' Has a Script but 'Evil Dead 2' Does Not, Says Fede Álvarez".
12. Sharf, Zack. (Nov 3, 2018). "Fede Álvarez Confirms 'Don't Breathe 2' Script Is Done, Sequel Will Definitely Happen Before 'Evil Dead 2'".
13. Rubin, Rebecca. (October 21, 2020). "'Ghostbusters' Sequel Moves to Summer 2021".
14. Kit, Borys. (4 March 2022). "New 'Alien' Movie in the Works With 'Don't Breathe' Filmmaker Fede Álvarez (Exclusive)".
15. Dunn, Jack. (September 26, 2024). "2024 Fangoria Magazine Chainsaw Awards Sets Oct. 13 Premiere Date (EXCLUSIVE)".
16. Moreau, Jordan. (2025-09-05). "‘Alien: Romulus’ Director Fede Álvarez Not Returning for Sequel: ‘I’m Gonna Pass the Torch on This One’".
17. [https://deadline.com/2013/09/evil-deads-fede-alvarez-going-to-hell-m-universals-dantes-inferno-589392/ 'Evil Dead's Fede Álvarez Going To Hell-m Universal's 'Dante's Inferno']
18. (May 3, 2016). "Warner Bros. Nabbing 'Monsterpocalypse' Movie Rights in Bidding War (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
19. Cabin, Chris. (September 11, 2016). "'Don't Breathe' Director & '10 Cloverfield Lane' Writer Pairing for Sony's 'Incognito' Adaptation".
20. Kit, Boris. (February 10, 2017). "'Batman' Movie to be Directed by 'Planet of the Apes' Filmmaker Matt Reeves".
21. Knoll, Justin. (April 13, 2017). "'Don't Breathe' Helmer Fede Álvarez to Direct 'Labyrinth' Spin-Off for TriStar". [[Variety (magazine).
22. Squires, John. (April 29, 2020). "Fede Álvarez Explains Why He's No Longer Directing a 'Labyrinth' Sequel [Exclusive]". [[Bloody Disgusting]].
23. (7 March 2017). "Fede Álvarez: en la jungla hollywoodense".