Skip to content
MovieCove
Eric Heisserer

Eric Heisserer

Writer and producer, also director · Born April 30, 1970 (56) · Norman, Oklahoma, USA

Oscar nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Eric Andrew Heisserer (born 1970) is an American filmmaker, comic book writer, television writer, and television producer. His screenplay for the film Arrival earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the 89th Academy Awards in 2016. Description above from the Wikipedia article Eric Heisserer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 30, 1970 (56)
From
Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Works as
Writer and producer, also director
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 19 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 22% in 30 days

What are Eric Heisserer's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Horror4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama 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
Survival
48%
Self
23%
Bonds
16%
Power
6%
Morality
5%
Ideas
2%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 8

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 4

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 5

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

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 6

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Dread
8
Melancholic
3
Cold
2
Contemplative
1
Other
5

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Bittersweet6
  • 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 Eric Heisserer's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Eric Heisserer'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

19 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Cyberpunk: Edgerunners(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · Creative Consultant

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Shadow and Bone(2021)

    Show 16 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Bloodshot(2020)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Bird Box(2018)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Extinction(2018)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Arrival(2016)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lights Out(2016)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Hours(2013)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Thing(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Final Destination 5(2011)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Dissolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Writer

  • Division by Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Writer

  • Dungeon Crawler Carl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

  • Lights Out 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Characters · Producer

  • Mysteria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Screenplay

  • Simultaneous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Novel · Producer

  • The Earthling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Your Name (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles, 11 of them dated from 2010 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Arrival (2016)

$214M worldwide

Highest rated

Arrival (2016)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 19: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting16 of 19: 6 only writing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score52ndProducing11 of 19: 2 only producing, 9 with another roleOther crew2 of 19: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

19 titles, 10 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

2010s8 · crew2020s3 · 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.

Awards

2 major awards from 4 major nominations, 2016–2017.

WinNomination
  1. 2017
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay (Adapted)
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Adapted Screenplay
  2. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Adapted Screenplay

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Eric Heisserer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

97thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 11 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer, producer

Arrival (2016)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 40/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 9 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 Eric Heisserer's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 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 & Gore8 titles48–94 · median 75 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles9–38 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles32–70 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles4–42 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles51–89 · median 79 · 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 Eric Heisserer work with?

People who share at least 2 of Eric Heisserer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dave Neustadter shares the most, 3.

Composers

Producers