‘Tetris’ Director Jon S. Baird Signs With Range

EXCLUSIVE: Jon S. Baird, the Scottish filmmaker known for his work on Tetris and Stan & Ollie, has signed with Range Media Partners.

Baird’s most recent feature, the true-life thriller Tetris, earned him a nomination for Best Director – Fiction at the upcoming 2023 BAFTA Scotland Awards, after world premiering at SXSW. The Apple TV+ pic tells the story of Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), a video game enthusiast turned entrepreneur, who stumbles upon a little-known title called Tetris at a tech expo and becomes embroiled in a high-stakes battle for its rights, facing off against rival companies, the KGB, and even Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Baird previously directed Stan & Ollie, a feature about comedy legends Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Hardy (John C. Reilly), for eOne and BBC Films, which was nominated for Outstanding British Film of the Year at the BAFTA Film Awards. The filmmaker also with that title secured a breakthrough win at the BAFTA Scotland Awards, having previously scored multiple nominations for his dark comedy Filth, starring James McAvoy, which adapted the bestseller by Irvine Welsh.

Other recent directing work for Baird includes Showtime’s ’70s stand-up scene dramedy I’m Dying Up Here from executive producer Jim Carrey and ITV’s Stonehouse, starring Matthew Macfadyen, on which he was also an EP. Next up is the family film Everything’s Going to Be Great, starring Allison Janney, Bryan Cranston, Simon Rex, and Chris Cooper, which he’s directed for eOne and Astute Films.

Throughout his career, Baird has worked with some of today’s most esteemed multi-hyphenates — among them, Danny Boyle on the Channel 4 drama Babylon, and Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter on HBO’s Vinyl. His first feature, which he wrote, directed and produced, was 2008’s Cass, a true story about a Jamaican orphan whose violent struggle for identity saw him going from public enemy #1 to successful author.

Baird made his directorial debut in 2003 on the topical comedy program The State We’re In, presented by John Oliver, having begun his career at the BBC. He continues to be represented by CAA and Independent Talent Group in the UK.