Robert Thomas Letterman (born October 31, 1970) is an American film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut as co-director of the animated comedy film Shark Tale (2004), for which he received a nomination at the 32nd Annie Awards. He then co-directed the animated science fiction comedy film Monsters vs. Aliens (2009).
Letterman has since transitioned into live-action filmmaking, directing the fantasy comedy film Gulliver's Travels (2010), the horror comedy film Goosebumps (2015), and the fantasy mystery film Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019).
Early life
Letterman was born in Hawaii and attended Mid-Pacific Institute and USC.
Career
Prior to joining DreamWorks Animation, Letterman directed the short film Los Gringos, which was accepted at 2000's Sundance Film Festival.
In 2002, Vicky Jenson and Eric "Bibo" Bergeron invited him as a screenwriter (then as co-director) in the making of Shark Tale. In 2010, Letterman directed the live-action film Gulliver's Travels, starring Jack Black in the lead role. He also directed the live-action/CGI film Pokémon Detective Pikachu, based on the Pokémon videogame franchise. The film was released on May 10, 2019, grossed $433 million at the box office, and attained the then-highest percentage of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for a film adaptation of a video game.
In 2020, Netflix announced Letterman as director for an upcoming live-action animated film adaptation of Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil video game. No further updates have been given for the film since the announcement.
In 2026, Letterman was announced to direct and write a live-action/animated film adaptation of The Magic School Bus starring Elizabeth Banks as Ms. Frizzle.
Personal life
Letterman is married to Beth Pontrelli and has two children.
Filmography
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Shrek – I Feel Good | No | Yes | No | Animation test |
| 1999 | Los Gringos | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2005 | Club Oscar | Yes | No | No |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shark Tale | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Vicky Jenson and Bibo Bergeron Co-written with Michael J. Wilson |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Conrad Vernon Screenplay co-written with Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger Story co-written with Conrad Vernon |
| 2010 | Gulliver's Travels | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Goosebumps | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | Detective Pikachu | Yes | Yes | Screenplay co-written with Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Derek Connolly |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive producer |
Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2025 | Goosebumps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Directed 4 episodes Written 4 episodes |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Lake Placid | Color and lighting supervisor: Digital Domain |
| 2001 | Shrek | Propellerhead: Los Angeles pre-production |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Also voiced Secret Service Man #1 |
| 2017 | Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | Executive producer |
