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Brian Duffield

Brian Duffield

Writer, producer and director · Born November 5, 1985 (40) · Pennsylvania, USA

Writers Guild Award nominee

Brian Duffield (born November 5, 1985) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and directed the 2026 survival thriller film Whalefall, the 2023 sci-fi horror film No One Will Save You and the 2020 dark comedy coming-of-age film Spontaneous. His previous writing credits include Love and Monsters (2020), Underwater (2020), The Babysitter (2017) and Insurgent (2015). He is known for having multiple spec scripts featured in The Black List, an industry log of highly regarded but unproduced screenplays, including his scripts for Jane Got a Gun (2015) and Your Bridesmaid is a Bitch. Description above from the Wikipedia article Brian Duffield, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 5, 1985 (40)
From
Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Writer, producer and director
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 24% in 30 days

What are Brian Duffield's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
44%
Self
24%
Bonds
12%
Morality
11%
Society
6%
Power
3%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 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 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 9

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 4

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 5

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

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 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Dread
6
Thrilling
6
Absurd
5
Melancholic
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Bittersweet10
  • Ambiguous2

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 Brian Duffield's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Brian Duffield'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

17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Skeletons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

  • Whalefall(2026)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Borderline(2025)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • No One Will Save You(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Skull Island(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Cocaine Bear(2023)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Love and Monsters(2020)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Spontaneous(2020)

    Director · Adaptation · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Babysitter: Killer Queen(2020)

    Characters · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Underwater(2020)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Good Luck in the Land of Mañana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Executive Producer

  • The Babysitter(2017)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Jane Got a Gun(2015)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Divergent Series: Insurgent(2015)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Quarantine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Writer

  • Siren Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Old Ballgame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles, 14 of them dated from 2014 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015)

$297M worldwide

Highest rated

Love and Monsters (2020)

Midcredits 81st

Most popular right now

Whalefall (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing4 of 17: 0 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting13 of 17: 5 only writing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thProducing12 of 17: 4 only producing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score44thOther crew1 of 17: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

17 titles, 8 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 8 of them.

By decade

2010s5 · crew2020s9 · 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

Nominated for a Writers Guild Award in 2024, TV & New Media Motion Pictures.

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 Brian Duffield's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th7

Shape of the crowd

None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 6 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most loved · writer

Love and Monsters (2020)

Midcredits 81st · 72% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 49/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 11 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 Brian Duffield's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 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 & Gore10 titles54–90 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles14–41 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles26–86 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles8–87 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles52–73 · median 64 · 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 Brian Duffield work with?

People who share at least 2 of Brian Duffield's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joseph Trapanese shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers