Riza Aziz
Riza Aziz | |
|---|---|
 Dumb and Dumber To Premiere | |
| Born | Riza Shahriz Bin Abdul Aziz |
| Occupation(s) | Film Producer, Co-Founder and Chairman of Red Granite Pictures |
| Parent(s) | Abdul Aziz Nong Chik (father) Rosmah Mansor (mother) Najib Razak (step-father) |
| Website | www |
Riza Aziz (born Riza Shahriz Bin Abdul Aziz) is a film producer, the co-founder and chairman of Red Granite Pictures, a Los Angeles-based film production company, and one of the leading Hollywood producers.[1]
Career
Riza holds a BS degree in Government & Economics and an MS in Politics from the London School of Economics. He is also a registered authorized person with the UK Financial Services Authority.
In 2010, with producing partner Joey McFarland, Aziz co-founded Red Granite Pictures, an American film finance, development, production and distribution company.[2] Aziz serves as both a producer and Chairman for the independent company and started its slate with the hit romantic comedy, Friends with Kids[3] Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, Friends With Kids also stars John Hamm, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd.
In 2012, following the success of Friends With Kids, Aziz went on to executive produce the dramatic thriller, Out of the Furnace, starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Forest Whitaker. Scott Cooper of Crazy Heart directed the feature which was released on December 6, 2013. Aziz followed up Out of the Furnace with the highly anticipated film The Wolf of Wall Street. The Wolf of Wall Street is based upon Jordan Belfort's best-selling novel of the same name and was adapted into a screenplay by Terence Winter. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, and was directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was released on December 25, 2013.[4] The film is banned in his native country, Malaysia.[5] The Wolf of Wall Street has achieved tremendous box office success and critical acclaim - including a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy for star Leonardo DiCaprio and five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.
Also in 2013, Aziz completed production on Horns, a supernatural thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple and directed by Alexandre Aja. The film is based on the best-selling novel by Joe Hill and was released in 2014 by Dimension-RADiUS.[6] Aziz is also a producer on the sequel Dumb and Dumber To, directed by Pete and Bobby Farrelly. The film features Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprising their roles, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, and was released on November 14, 2014 by Universal Pictures and opened number one at the box office.[7][8] Paramount Pictures and Aziz's production company Red Granite Pictures in association with Gary Sanchez Productions also produced the Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg comedy Daddy's Home. Red Granite Pictures co-produced and co-financed the film, which Paramount Pictures distributed worldwide. Aziz's development slate includes The Brigands of Rattleborge and The General. The Brigands of Rattleborge, blacklist's number 1 script of 2006, is a western revenge story and The General is a gritty look at the story of George Washington.
In 2011, Variety named Aziz to their list of Top 10 Producers to Watch.
Personal life
Riza Aziz is a stepson of the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak.[2] As of September 2015 the US Department of Justice was investigating property transactions carried out by Aziz, related to his step-father's role in the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia.[9][10] On 20 July 2016, Riza Aziz was named in FBI's 1MDB lawsuit.[11] Tens of millions of dollars in funds diverted from 1MDB were used to produce the 2013 Martin Scorsese film 'The Wolf of Wall Street', the lawsuits said.[12] Later, it is also revealed that "Dumb and Dumber To" and "Daddy's Home" were financed by Malaysian government investment fund through corrupt officials and financiers.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Papillon | Michael Noer | Mai 7, 2017 |
| 2014 | Daddy's Home | Sean Anders and John Morris | |
| 2014 | Dumb and Dumber To | Peter and Bobby Farrelly | |
| 2014 | Horns | Alexandre Aja | |
| 2013 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Martin Scorsese | December 25, 2013 |
| 2013 | Out of the Furnace | Scott Cooper | December 6, 2013 |
| 2012 | Friends With Kids | Jennifer Westfeldt | March 16, 2012 |
| 2012 | Children Rise | Billy Raftery |
References
- ^ Pagliery, Jose (2016-07-20). "Feds want 'Wolf of Wall Street' profits as part of $3.5 billion fraud allegations". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
- ^ a b Pamela McClintock (May 22, 2012). "Red Granite Pictures' Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland on Scorsese's 'Wolf of Wall Street' (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Lionsgate Has Friends With Kids". Press Release. Lionsgate. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela. "Red Granite Picture's Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland on Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street"". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Gay Orgy, Gone! 'Wolf of Wall Street' Censored, Banned Overseas". moviethatmatters.com.
- ^ Mike Fleming Jr. "RADiUS- TWC, Dimension Acquire Daniel Radcliffe Toronto Thriller 'Horns'". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Nikki Finke. "CAA Loses High-Profile Director To UTA". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Brent Lang. "Box Office: 'Dumb and Dumber To' On Top With $38.1 Million". Variety.
- ^ "Obama Dilemma: How to Treat Malaysia's Pariah PM". Asia Sentinel.
- ^ "Malaysia's Leader, Najib Razak, Faces U.S. Corruption Inquiry". The New York Times. September 22, 2015.
- ^ "Red Granite's Riza Aziz Named in FBI's 1MDB Lawsuits". Variety. October 13, 2016.
- ^ "Riza, Jho Low and two others named in US Justice Dept lawsuit". malaysiakini. October 13, 2016.
- ^ "'Dumb and Dumber To' was made with stolen cash, feds say". June 24, 2017.