Thunder Levin Explained

Thunder Levin
Birth Name:Thunder Levin
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Known For:Sharknado

Thunder Levin is an American screenwriter and director, most famous for writing the first four Sharknado films.[1] [2] Levin's work was largely responsible for the resurgence of sharksploitation films.[3]

Background

Levin 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.

Levin graduated from Hunter College High School, and received his BFA in Film from NYU.[4]

Early career

Levin moved to Los Angeles at the age of 23. In the late 1980s he worked as a still photographer on three movies for the legendary film producer Roger Corman.

Levin's feature-film directorial debut was the 2008 horror comedy Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood![5] [6] starring C. Thomas Howell.[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 sci-fi film .

Sharknado

See main article: Sharknado (film series). In 2013, Levin wrote the made-for-television disaster film Sharknado, about a tornado of shark-infested seawater. The film's debut on Syfy attracted nearly 1.37 million viewers and generated nearly 5,000 tweets a minute at its peak.[9] In 2014 Levin penned a sequel, , which pulled in 3.9 million viewers.[10] Levin subsequently wrote two more sequels, 2015's and 2016's . 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

YearTitleRoleNotes
Zombie Tidal Wave2019story by[11]
2018based on characters created byalso appeared as "Bar Patron"
Megalodon2018story by
Geo-Disaster2017director, written by
2017based on characters created by
Creature Features2017appeared as selfTV series
Mind Blown2016written by
2016written by
Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy2015appeared as selfdocumentary
2015written byalso appeared as "Mr. Benchley from The Post"
Infolist Pre Comic-Con Bash2015appeared as selfdocumentary short
Weekends with Alex Witt2014appeared as selfTV series
2014written by
Sharknado2013written by
From the Sea2013screenplay by
2013director, written by
American Warships2012director, writer
200 M.P.H.2011written by
Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!2008director, written by, executive producer
Venice Beach Sketches2002editor
Soulmates aka Evil Lives1992director
Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II1989still photographer
1989still photographer
Saturday the 14th Strikes Back1988still photographer
Hydrosub: 20211987off-line assistant / production associate / appeared as "Crewman"video game
The Rescue of Pops Ghostly1987off-line assistant / production associatevideo game

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Interview With Sharknado Writer Thunder Levin. Wiser. Curt. December 3, 2019. OC Movie Reviews.
  2. Web site: 7 Glaring 'Sharknado' Plot Holes Are Finally Explained. Bradley. Bill. July 22, 2015. HuffPost.
  3. Web site: Thunder Levin: An Interview by Kent Hill. Hill. Kent. November 20, 2016. Podcasting Them Softly.
  4. Web site: Chatting With Sherri Welcomes Producer/Director/Writer; Thunder Levin!. September 28, 2018. BlogTalkRadio. April 28, 2020.
  5. Book: Dendle, Peter. Peter Dendle. 2012. The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000-2010. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 133–134. 978-0-7864-6163-9.
  6. Web site: Can a "Sharknado" Really Happen?. Suebsaeng. Asawin. July 11, 2013. Mother Jones. April 28, 2020.
  7. Web site: Mutant Vampire Zombies From the Hood!. July 7, 2008. Variety. April 28, 2020.
  8. Web site: Thunder Levin Interview: Sharknado Writer Talks The Asylum, Science and Why He's Never Made a Mockbuster. Salt. Paul. July 9, 2019. Screen Mayhem. April 28, 2020.
  9. Web site: Sharknado Writer, Field Museum Scientist Gave Fascinating Insights into Film. Banks. Paul M.. August 6, 2017. The Bank. April 28, 2020.
  10. Web site: 'Sharknado' set to end with No. 6. France. Lisa Respers. March 29, 2018. CNN.
  11. Web site: Zombie Tidal Wave. SyFy.