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Dave Callaham

Dave Callaham

Writer and producer · Born October 24, 1977 (49) · Fresno, California, USA

David Elias Callaham (born October 24, 1977) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the screenplays for the films Doom (2005), The Expendables (2010), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Mortal Kombat, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (both 2021), and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Description above from the Wikipedia article David Callaham, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 24, 1977 (49)
From
Fresno, California, USA
Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What are Dave Callaham's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
33%
Morality
23%
Self
23%
Survival
10%
Society
9%
Power
2%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 5 · Dark 4

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 8

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 13

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 5

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 2

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 9

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Thrilling
12
Absurd
3
Dread
3
Melancholic
5
Other
15

How their films linger

Fun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dave Callaham's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dave Callaham's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

22 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse(2027)

    Writer

  • Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Writer

  • Masters of the Universe(2026)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Expendables 4(2023)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse(2023)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings(2021)

    Screenplay · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • America: The Motion Picture(2021)

    Producer · Writer · as Rights Man In Crowd / I.M. Pei (voice)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Mortal Kombat(2021)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Wonder Woman 1984(2020)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Zombieland: Double Tap(2019)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Jean-Claude Van Johnson(2016)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Expendables 3(2014)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla(2014)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Expendables 2(2012)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Expendables(2010)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Tell Tale(2009)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Horsemen(2009)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Doom(2005)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Gaston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Hercules (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Street Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

  • Untitled Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Sequel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles, 16 of them dated from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

$691M worldwide

Highest rated

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 22: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleWriting22 of 22: 18 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thProducing4 of 22: 0 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew1 of 22: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

22 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s6 · crew2020s7 · 1 acting · 7 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Dave Callaham's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of the 15 of 16 with a score; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 39th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

97thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor, writer, producer

America: The Motion Picture (2021)

60th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 39/100 and the plot and story 34/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Dave Callaham's work okay for kids?

Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore14 titles46–96 · median 89 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity14 titles10–46 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity14 titles36–92 · median 71 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs13 titles21–44 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense12 titles38–73 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Dave Callaham work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dave Callaham's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sylvester Stallone shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers