Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ball is a great example of the modern path from VFX artist to big-budget director, and you can see his visual-effects DNA in everything he makes. His short film Ruin was basically a calling card that screamed cinematic eye on a tiny budget, and Hollywood rightly handed him the Maze Runner films, which are slicker and more kinetic than YA dystopia usually gets. Then he stepped up to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and proved he could handle scale and motion-capture spectacle without losing the franchise's soul. He's a craftsman first, strong on world-building and momentum, and I'm curious where he goes next.
Overview
Wes Ball (born October 28, 1980) is an American film director, graphic designer and visual effects artist. He first drew attention with his self-produced short film Ruin, which led to him directing the Maze Runner film trilogy based on James Dashner's novels. He later directed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the 2024 continuation of the rebooted Apes franchise.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Wes Ball
- Name (Japanese)
- ウェス・ボール
- Reading
- うぇす・ぼーる
- Born
- October 28, 1980 (age 45)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Monkey
- Origin
- United States
- Occupation
- Graphic designer / Film director / Graphic artist / Director
2. Links
3. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Wes Ball born?
Born October 28, 1980 (age 45).
Where is Wes Ball from?
Wes Ball is from United States.
What does Wes Ball do?
Wes Ball works as Graphic designer, Film director, Graphic artist, Director.
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