Ben Stiller shoots war film "The Lost Airman" for Amazon

After his last movie "Zoolander 2" in 2015, Ben Stiller went quiet as an actor and director. Although he won over critics and fans with the Apple series "Severance", he failed to make a film comeback. That is now set to change: As World of Reel reports, Stiller is to direct the war film "The Lost Airman" for Amazon.

"The Lost Airman" tells the true story of the American B-24 gunner Arthur Meyerowitz, who was shot down over France in 1943. With great ingenuity and courage, he repeatedly managed to escape the Nazis – at times he even pretended to be deaf and dumb. After six months of hiding places, false identities and daring escape attempts, he finally managed to escape from occupied France. He was supported by members of the Resistance, including Marcel Talliander, founder of the famous Morhange resistance group.

The project has a long history: Jake Gyllenhaal, who has been pursuing the subject as a passion project for years, was originally slated to direct. He is now staying on board as a producer – and could even take on the lead role. It remains to be seen whether the film will be released in cinemas or directly via Prime Video. A start date has also yet to be set.

Ben Stiller as director: from comedy to series phenomenon

Most moviegoers know Ben Stiller as an actor in comedies such as "Meet the Parents", "Night at the Museum" or "There's Something About Mary". But Stiller is not only successful in front of the camera – he has also made a name for himself as a director since the 1990s. His path has taken him from satirical comedies to highly acclaimed drama series. An overview of his best-known projects shows just how versatile Stiller is behind the camera.

Reality Bites (1994)

Stiller made his feature film debut as a director in 1994 with "Reality Bites". The film tells the story of a group of young adults looking for direction after college. Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke play the leading roles, while Stiller himself also took on a supporting role.

The mixture of humor, romance and social criticism struck a chord. Although "Reality Bites" was only moderately successful at the box office, it later developed into a cult film that captured the yearnings and insecurities of the so-called "Generation X". For Stiller, the work marked the beginning of a career in which he repeatedly captured the attitude to life of his time in satirical forms.

The Cable Guy (1996): Dark comedy with Jim Carrey

Just two years later, Stiller directed "The Cable Guy". With Jim Carrey in the lead role, he ventured into a much darker comedy. Carrey plays a lonely television technician who obsessively clings to a customer – a grotesque mixture of comedy and menace. The movie was ahead of its time: While many viewers had expected a light Carrey slapstick, Stiller delivered a black satire about friendship, isolation and media consumption. Critics and audiences reacted ambivalently at the time, but in retrospect "The Cable Guy" is seen as a courageous attempt to push the boundaries of the mainstream.

Zoolander (2001): Cult status in the fashion world

With "Zoolander" in 2001, Stiller returned to a more accessible form of comedy – but not without a satirical bite. As director, screenwriter and leading actor, he created the character of the simple-minded supermodel Derek Zoolander. The absurd plot, in which a fashion czar tries to manipulate the naive Zoolander for an assassination attempt, provided ample opportunity for sharp-tongued side-swipes at the superficiality and megalomania of the fashion industry. Zoolander was a surprise success and quickly developed into a cult film that still inspires countless quotes and memes today. The sequel "Zoolander 2" followed in 2015, but failed to win over fans of its predecessor.

Tropic Thunder (2008): Hollywood takes aim at itself

With "Tropic Thunder", Stiller reached the pinnacle of his directing career in 2008. The film tells the story of a group of actors who believe they are filming a war movie – and find themselves in a real conflict without realizing it. The star-studded comedy (with Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Stiller himself, among others) is not just an action spectacle, but above all a biting satire on Hollywood's egomania, method acting and blockbuster mechanisms. The film was both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. Downey Jr's controversial but Oscar-nominated role in particular shows how far Stiller was prepared to go to humorously expose the film industry.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) : A poetic adventure

After several pure comedies, Stiller surprised everyone with a more serious tone in 2013. In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", he remade the classic short story by James Thurber. He played the main character Walter himself – an introverted photo editor who escapes into fantastic worlds of adventure through daydreams until he finally ventures on a real journey. Stiller staged the film with lavish images that ranged from Iceland to the Himalayas and focused on emotional depth rather than quick slapstick. Critics praised the visual power and the courage to be sentimental, even if not everyone could understand the change in tone. For Stiller, the film marked a step towards more ambitious projects.

Escape at Dannemora (2018): Directorial breakthrough on television

Stiller reached a new artistic peak with the mini-series Escape at Dannemora, which is based on true events. It tells the story of two inmates escaping from a prison in New York State and their relationship with a prison employee, played by Patricia Arquette. Stiller directed all the episodes and produced them with sober suspense, a great deal of psychological sensitivity and realistic harshness. The series received several Emmy nominations and made it clear that Stiller is also a director to be taken seriously outside the comedy genre.

Severance (2022-): Serial masterpiece on Apple TV+

Since 2022, Stiller has been shaping the multi-award-winning series "Severance" as director and producer. The dark mystery show tells the story of employees whose memories are artificially separated between their work and private lives. Stiller directed the pilot episode and other key episodes, establishing the visual and narrative signature of the series: sterile office environments, claustrophobic corridors and an atmosphere somewhere between office satire and existential thriller. "Severance" was celebrated by critics as one of the best series of recent years and shows that Stiller is now one of the most important directors in television.

Conclusion: From fun maker to serious storyteller

Ben Stiller's directorial work is remarkably diverse. From the ironic generational portraits in "Reality Bites" to the fashion satire "Zoolander" and the great Hollywood parodies in "Tropic Thunder! he has proven time and again that he can rethink comedies. Later, with "Walter Mitty", "Escape at Dannemora" and "Severance", he showed that he could also master serious material with depth and visual sophistication.

Stiller is thus one of the few Hollywood stars to successfully strike a balance between comedy and drama, between cinema and television. His best-known projects show how well he understands how to illuminate social trends and human abysses with humor and seriousness at the same time – a combination that makes his work as a director unique.