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Adam Stein
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Adam B. Stein is an American film director and screenwriter working in Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California.
Key Information
Stein graduated from Harvard University and the directing program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He co-directed Final Destination Bloodlines for New Line Cinema, the Disney live-action movie Kim Possible, and also co-wrote and directed the award-winning independent film Freaks, all with partner Zach Lipovsky. In 2019, he was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for his work on the TV series Mech-X4.[1]
Prior to directing, Stein edited several independent features that played at film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW.[2][3]
Career
[edit]On The Lot
[edit]Adam Stein was a contestant on On The Lot, the Fox Television reality show produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett.
The films that Adam Stein created for On The Lot consistently received the highest reviews from the show's judges. Actress/writer Carrie Fisher said of his film Army Guy: "that was one of the most innovative, freaky, fantastic films I have seen." Director Gary Ross called Stein's filmmaking "charming, unbelievably ambitious, and really really technically proficient."
At least one celebrity judge chose Stein as their favorite filmmaker each time he made a film. New York Magazine called the director a "wunderkind".[4] When Film Threat reviewed his film Dough: The Musical, the magazine said that it "covered a lot of visual ground and was extremely accomplished in lyrics, dancing, singing and acting."[5]
Writing and directing
[edit]In 2022, it was revealed that Stein and filmmaking partner Zach Lipovsky would direct the next installment in New Line Cinema's Final Destination franchise. They got the job after a competitive search involving 200 potential directors and a pitching process that culminated in Stein faking his own death in the style of a Final Destination kill. [6] Production on Final Destination Bloodlines took place in Vancouver in the Spring of 2024.[7][8]
In 2018, Stein co-directed a live-action adaptation of the hit animated TV series Kim Possible. The movie aired February 15, 2019 on Disney Channel.[9]
The independent feature film Freaks that Stein wrote and directed with partner Zach Lipovsky premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and has won awards at several film festivals around the world.[10] The Vancouver Film Festival, which awarded Stein and Lipovsky "Best Emerging Director," said that their film "ratchets up the go-for-broke audacity as it laces the family drama of Room with genre confections indebted to vintage Spielberg."[11] Freaks was released in theaters on September 13, 2019.[12][13]
In 2016, Adam Stein directed episodes for the first and second seasons of the Disney XD series Mech-X4. He was also the director of the Disney Channel pilot "Forever Boys."[14] Before that, he directed comedy pieces for Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC.
Stein has written and directed dozens of short films and music videos, which have been released around the world. He directed the music video "Suburban Symphony" for the Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone album. This music video was first screened at an orchestral performance conducted by Andrea Morricone, with Yo-Yo Ma playing live.[15] The music video was then sold as part of the album's bonus DVD.[16]
His USC film Hot Java played at many festivals around the country and won the top prize at the Gen Art Film Festival.[17] His film script Tangles won an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant for screenwriting.[18]
With film school collaborator Sam Friedlander and actor Mark Feuerstein, he made "Lazy Monday", an online parody described as a "west coast rap battle" response to Saturday Night Live's "Lazy Sunday". This video was widely played and widely copied, being featured on VH1, Bravo, and many other media outlets. After the release of this video, CNN's Paula Zahn interviewed Stein and Feuerstein about making content for the web.[19]
In November 2025, it was announced that Stein would co-write Gremlins 3 with Chris Columbus (who will direct) and Zach Lipovsky with Steven Spielberg serving as an executive producer. The film is set for release on November 19, 2027.[20]
In February 2026, it was announced that Stein and Lipovsky would direct an animated movie based on the Marvel Comics character Venom for Sony Pictures.[21]
Editing
[edit]Stein has worked as an editor on several feature films, including:
- Blue State, starring Anna Paquin and Breckin Meyer
- Fifty Pills, starring Kristen Bell and Lou Taylor Pucci
- Flakes, starring Zooey Deschanel
- The documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which premiered at Sundance in 2006.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "Complete list of 2019 Emmy nominations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 27, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Rodriguez, Rene (June 20, 2007). "Local Dreamer Gets Break "On The Lot"". The Miami Herald. p. A4. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- ^ Balakrishna, Aditi (July 27, 2007). "His Lot to Lose". The Harvard Crimson.
- ^ New York Magazine, June 2007, naming Adam Stein's film "Best Picture."
- ^ Film Threat review. Archived February 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hollywood Reporter story about the director-hiring process on Final Destination.
- ^ Scott, Ryan (March 5, 2024). "Final Destination: Bloodlines Begins Filming". Fangoria. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "DGC BC Production List". Directors Guild of Canada. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024. Alt URL
- ^ Announcement of Kim Possible movie in Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Announcement of winning films at the Trieste Science Fiction Film Festival". Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Vancouver Film Festival's profile of "Freaks."". Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ News of sale of "Freaks" at Toronto Film Festival.
- ^ Interview with Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky in The Hollywood Reporter upon the release of Freaks.
- ^ Article from Variety about "Forever Boys" pilot., August 24, 2016.
- ^ Variety review of the Yo-Yo Ma performance and Stein's music video, November 5, 2004.
- ^ Film Score Magazine's review of the Yo-Yo Ma DVD Archived October 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Variety Staff (January 27, 2005). "Miami fest likes it "Hot"". Variety.
- ^ Sloan Foundation profile.
- ^ Transcript of CNN interview.
- ^ Hibberd, James (November 6, 2025). "Warners Making 'Gremlins 3' With Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus Returning". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- ^ Kit, Borys (February 20, 2026). "'Venom' Animated Movie in the Works With 'Final Destination' Filmmakers Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "Adam Stein at Internet Movie Database". IMDB.
External links
[edit]
Adam Stein
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
Early life
Adam Stein was born on September 3, 1937, in New York City, and raised in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Harold Stein and Lorin (Sears) Stein.[9]Education
Stein attended Haverford College and Washington Square College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 1964. He received his Juris Doctor, with honors, from George Washington University Law School in 1967.[10][9] Following law school, Stein served three years in the U.S. Army.[1]Career
Adam Stein began his legal career after completing his military service in the U.S. Army. In 1964, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and joined Julius L. Chambers and James E. Ferguson II to co-found Ferguson, Stein, Chambers & Adkins, P.A., North Carolina's first integrated law firm dedicated to civil rights litigation. The firm, later renamed Ferguson, Chambers & Sumter, P.A. after partner James Adkins departed, became a cornerstone for challenging racial discrimination in the South.[2][1] Throughout his career, Stein specialized in education law, particularly school desegregation; Title VII employment discrimination; voting rights; and medical negligence cases. He frequently collaborated with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) on high-impact litigation.[1][4]Key civil rights cases
Stein played a pivotal role in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971), a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that affirmed busing as a constitutional remedy for de jure segregation in public schools, shaping national desegregation policies. The firm handled the initial district court proceedings, with Stein contributing to the strategy that led to the unanimous ruling.[5][1] He also contributed to Woodson v. North Carolina (1976), where the Supreme Court struck down the state's mandatory death penalty statute as violating the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Stein's work on the case highlighted disparities in capital sentencing.[6] Other significant cases include Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971), establishing that employment practices with discriminatory effects violate Title VII even without intent; and Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody (1975), which expanded remedies for class-action discrimination suits. In voting rights, Stein argued Thornburg v. Gingles (1986), a seminal case invalidating multimember districts that diluted Black voting strength under the Voting Rights Act. He also represented civil rights leader J. Brewington "Ben" Chavis in the Wilmington Ten case and argued West v. Atkins (1988), affirming that prisoners can sue state-employed doctors for Eighth Amendment violations.[3][11][12][13] Stein's advocacy extended to challenging structural racism in housing, public health, and other areas, often through class-action suits that advanced equity in North Carolina.[1]Appellate Defender and later career
In 1980, Stein was appointed as the inaugural North Carolina Appellate Defender, creating the state's first statewide office for handling criminal appeals on behalf of indigent defendants, including capital cases. He served in this role until 1987, focusing on ensuring fair representation in the appeals process.[14] Following his time as Appellate Defender, Stein continued civil rights and medical malpractice practice, including voting rights challenges against discriminatory laws post-Shelby County v. Holder (2013), such as North Carolina's 2013 voting restrictions.[15] As of 2013, Stein serves as Of Counsel at Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, PLLC, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he continues to litigate civil rights and medical malpractice matters. In 2025, he and his wife Jane received the Building Better Futures Award from Community Home Trust for their philanthropy in advancing housing equity and community opportunities.[8][7]Awards and nominations
- 2017: Defender of Justice Award from the North Carolina Justice Center, honoring contributions to justice and equity in North Carolina.[16]
- 2020: Citizen Lawyer Award from the North Carolina Bar Association, recognizing exemplary public service as a co-founder of the state's first integrated law firm.[17]
- 2025: Building Better Futures Award from Community Home Trust (shared with his wife, Jane Stein), for decades-long philanthropy advancing housing equity and community opportunity.[7]