Wes Ball
Wes Ball (born October 28, 1980) is an American film director, producer, and visual effects artist. He directed the Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), based on the series of novels by James Dashner, as well as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), the fourth film in the Planet of the Apes reboot series.
Wes Ball

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Wes Ball · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Wes Ball
- Born
- 28 October 1980
- Education
- Florida State University (BFA)
- Occupation
- * Film director
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- film direction · film industry
- Languages
- English
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Wes Ball (born October 28, 1980) is an American film director, producer, and visual effects artist. He directed the Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), based on the series of novels by James Dashner, as well as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), the fourth film in the Planet of the Apes reboot series.
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Wes Ball (born 1980) is an American director, graphic artist and graphic designer. The director was born in United States. Wes Ball is active in film direction and film industry. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 29 September 2026
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wikidata · Q18148710 · wikipedia · Wes Ball
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Wes Ball • Born — 28 October 1980 • Education — Florida State University (BFA) • Occupation — * Film director • producer • visual effects artist • Years Active — 2002–present
Education
Education
Ball attended Crescent City High School and graduated in 1999. He graduated from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002. In 2003, he won a Student Academy Award for his short, animated film A Work in Progress.
Career
Career
Ball got his start as a Hollywood filmmaker with an animated short titled Ruin, which executives at 20th Century Fox saw and offered him the job to direct the adaptation to The Maze Runner. The Maze Runner would be Ball's first feature film. Made on a budget of $34 million, the film pulled in $348 million in box office receipts. Not long after the success of the film, Ball signed a first look deal with 20th Century Fox under his OddBall Entertainment banner. Ball is attached to direct a film adaptation of Fall of Gods, a crowdfunded illustrated novel from Denmark-based Mood Studios. In 2017, Ball was hired to direct a live-action/VFX-hybrid adaptation of Mouse Guard, at 20th Century Fox with a script by Gary Whitta and T. S. Nowlin, while Matt Reeves, Ross Richie and Stephen Christy served as producers. Production was expected to begin in May 2019, but following the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Fox earlier that year, the project was pulled from production two weeks before filming began. In December 2019, Disney and Fox hired Ball to write and direct a new Planet of the Apes film, titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. More recently, his production company OddBall Entertainment moved to Paramount Pictures. In May 2021, Ball was set to direct The Time Runner, a feature adaptation of the novella of the same name by Michael Sherman. In March 2022, Ball was set to produce a film based on a yet unspecified H. G. Wells book. In November 2023, it was announced that Ball will direct a live-action film based on The Legend of Zelda for Nintendo and Sony Pictures, with Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad producing.
Other credits
Other credits
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2005 — Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D — Pre-visualization artist — Documentary short • 2007 — Pirate Master — Graphics artist — 1 episode • 2008 — Medicine for Melancholy — Special thanks • 2011 — Beginners — Visual effects artist
Identity
Identity
Wes Ball is recorded with the occupation graphic designer. Recorded with the occupation film director. Recorded as having studied at Florida State University College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts.

Wes Ball speaking at the 2014 WonderCon, for "The Maze Runner", at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Wes Ball

Wes Ball and James Dashner speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Maze Runner", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Wes Ball James Dashner
Short film
Short film
• Year — Title — Director — Writer • 2002 — Jacob: The Movie • A Work in Progress • 2011 — Ruin
Feature film
Feature film
• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Notes • 2014 — The Maze Runner • 2015 — Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials — Executive • 2018 — Maze Runner: The Death Cure • 2024 — Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes • 2027 — The Legend of Zelda — Post-production
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Wes Ball”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q18148710: Wes Ball
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.McKaig, Nick. #1 Box Office film directed by FSU Film alum. Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. September 23, 2014.
- 2.Watch the Academy Award-Winning Short by 'The Maze Runner' Director Wes Ball. Film School Rejects. September 17, 2014.
- 3.Bahr, Lindsay. Wes Ball, Hollywood's new blockbuster visionary. Associated Press. September 15, 2015.
- 4.Taylor, Ella. Film Review: 'The Maze Runner '. Variety. September 9, 2014.
- 5.McNary, Dave. Box Office: 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Dominates With $62.6 Million Internationally. Variety. January 28, 2019.
- 6.McNary, Dave. 'Maze Runner' Director Wes Ball Signs First-Look Deal With Fox. Variety. January 27, 2016.
- 7.Kit, Borys. 'Maze Runner' Director to Tackle Norse Mythology With 'Fall of Gods' (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. August 25, 2015.
- 8.Fleming, Mike Jr. Fox Eyes Maze Runner's Wes Ball For Mouse Guard. Deadline Hollywood. September 7, 2017.
- 9.Polito, Thomas. Exclusive: The Maze Runner Scribe T.S. Nowlin Tapped to Write Screenplay for Wes Ball's Mouse Guard. Omega Underground. April 6, 2019.
- 10.Kit, Borys. Disney Scraps 'Mouse Guard' Two Weeks Before Production Set to Begin. The Hollywood Reporter. April 17, 2019.
- 11.Marc, Christopher. Director Wes Ball Reveals Stunning Animation Test Footage From His Cancelled 'Mouse Guard' Movie. HN Entertainment. June 26, 2019.
- 12.Kit, Borys. New Planet of the Apes Movie in the Works With Maze Runner Filmmaker Wes Ball (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. December 3, 2019.
- 13.Daniel Dorrance Joins 'Planet of the Apes' Reboot For 20th Century Studios (EXCLUSIVE). Discussing Film.
- 14.Fleming, Mike Jr. Wes Ball Tethers His Oddball Entertainment Banner To First-Look Paramount Pictures Deal. Deadline. January 22, 2021.
- 15.Fleming, Mike Jr. Paramount Lands 'The Time Runner' For Wes Ball To Direct; Steve Desmond & Michael Sherman Scripting. Deadline Hollywood.
- 16.Grobar, Matt. Paramount Developing H.G. Wells Project From Wes Ball's OddBall Entertainment; Laura Gillis Tapped To Write Latest Draft Of The Script. Deadline. March 28, 2022.
- 17.Development of a Live-Action Film of The Legend of Zelda to Start. Nintendo. November 8, 2023.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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