Lorenzo di Bonaventura (; born January 13, 1957) is an American
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and founder and owner of
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Di Bonaventura Pictures (also known as dB Pictures) is an American film and television production company founded in 2002 by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is known for producing the ''Transformers'' films.
History
On September 3, 2002, Lorenzo ...
. He is best known for producing the
G.I. Joe
''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...
and
''Transformers'' film series. The films he produced have earned over $7 billion at the box office.
Life and career
Di Bonaventura spent the 1990s as an executive in the film industry eventually rising to president of worldwide production for
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
. His production company --
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Di Bonaventura Pictures (also known as dB Pictures) is an American film and television production company founded in 2002 by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is known for producing the ''Transformers'' films.
History
On September 3, 2002, Lorenzo ...
—is based at
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
. His tenure at Warner Bros. included discovering and shepherding ''
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...
'' into production, purchasing the rights to the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' books by
J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...
.
In 2007 Di Bonaventura purchased the film rights to the six-part series of fantasy novels ''
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel'' by
Michael Scott. Di Bonaventura said that Scott's "fantastic series is a natural evolution from Harry Potter."
In the
documentary ''
Side by Side,'' Di Bonaventura criticized the ubiquitousness of inexpensive digital cameras that allow anyone to become a filmmaker, potentially saturating the media landscape with awful entertainment that the public wouldn't be able to distinguish from quality works. His argument stated that the new media landscape is flawed due to lack of a "tastemaker."
Personal life
Di Bonaventura graduated from
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private high ...
and
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, where he played soccer. He later received an MBA from the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private Ivy League rese ...
. His father, Mario di Bonaventura, was a symphony conductor, and his uncle,
Anthony di Bonaventura, was a concert pianist.
Di Bonaventura serves as chair of the Creative Council for
Represent.Us, a
nonpartisan anti-corruption organization. He has served on the Claremont Graduate University Board of Trustees since 2015.
Filmography
Producer
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
Sony Pictures Releasing
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
History Independent era (1991–2012)
Summit ...
Lionsgate Films
Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the larg ...
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
Others
Executive producer
Television
*''
Zero Hour'' (2013)
*''
The Real O'Neals
''The Real O'Neals'' is an American single-camera sitcom that aired on ABC from March 2, 2016, to March 14, 2017. The series, based on an idea by Dan Savage (who also served as executive producer), was picked up to series on May 7, 2015. The se ...
'' (2016–2017)
*''
Shooter
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...
'' (2016–2018)
*''
Jupiter's Legacy'' (2021)
*The New Look
(
Apple TV, in partnership with
Todd A. Kessler
Todd A. Kessler (born 1972) is an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer and director.
Career
Kessler wrote and produced the second and third seasons of HBO's ''The Sopranos'', Michael Mann's ''Robbery Homicide Division'' and ...
)
See also
*
Wilhelm Imkamp
Wilhelm Imkamp (born 27 September 1951) is a German Catholic Church, Catholic priest, theologian, and church historian. A former member of the Papal household, he was appointed as a Prelate of Honour of His Holiness in 2006 and an Protonotary ...
*
Yves Leterme
*
Yves Saint Laurent
*
Martina Stella
Martina Stella (born 28 November 1984) is an Italian actress and screenwriter.
Acting career
Stella made her cinematic debut at the age of 16 in 2001 in '' L'ultimo bacio''. The film was a success in Italy, and was nominated for multiple David ...
*
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor and filmmaker. Involved in acting from a young age, he made his film debut in John Huston's '' Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), and continued to play a variety of supporting roles in fil ...
*
Caroline Vreeland
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:di Bonaventura, Lorenzo
1957 births
American film producers
Place of birth missing (living people)
Harvard University alumni
Living people
Writers from New York City
People from New York (state)
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni
American people of Italian descent