Ryan Wiik
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Ryan Wiik better known as Ryan Wiik is an Norwegian actor and founder of the production company, WR Films. In 2007, Wiik made his Hollywood debut with A-Mark Entertainment’s thriller, Timber Falls
, directed by Tony Giglio
. In 2011, the entertainment trade paper Daily Variety reported that Wiik’s WR Films had acquired the motion picture rights to all 83 books in the best-selling Morgan Kane
series by author Louis Masterson.
, Wiik became friends with Norwegian Producer Knut Steen Rakner and British Producer Darryn Welch, who encouraged him to get in front of the camera for acting roles and television commercials. From the first take, it was evident that Ryan was a natural, and comfortable in front of the camera. In 2003, Wiik had a supporting role in the British/Spanish feature film Oh Marbella!, although his scenes were deleted from the theatrical version.
In late summer of 2005, Wiik was among the final contestants for Norway’s talent search Filmstjerne (meaning: Movie Star
, in Norwegian), where he was eliminated by judges in the last round before the audience voting started.
In the months following Filmstjerne, Wiik produced and helmed the project “A taste of Hollywood” in Norway, an intensive school program to teach and inspire 90 young filmmakers on the reality of moviemaking. On December 17, 2005, Wiik hosted a film festival and red-carpet award show in his home town Drøbak
, Norway
.
Wiik partnered with Rakner's production company MCM Europe, to produce and star in a slate of short films directed by Christoffer Lunde: Did You Get the Diamond?, Budbilsjåføren, Life in a Flash and The Blacklist. It was his work in these films that would later give Wiik an opportunity to move to Los Angeles
.
Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, Wiik was cast in a co-starring role in Timber Falls
, directed by Tony Giglio
. Wiik later received an “Artist of Extraordinary Ability Visa” O-1 visa
in the United States
.
, former President of Warner Home Video
, Alan E. Bell
, former Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Paramount Pictures
, Duane M. Eberlein
, former Chief Financial Officer of Caesars World
, and John Michaels, former President of Production for Magnet Media Group and VIP Media Funds USA.
On May 9, 2011, the trade magazine Daily Variety broke a story that WR Films had acquired the motion picture rights to all 83 novels in the best-selling Morgan Kane series, which has sold more than 20 million books to date.
Writing under the pen name of Louis Masterson, late Norwegian author Kjell Hallbing
began reinventing the Western genre for European readers when he wrote "Without Mercy," the first entry in the Morgan Kane series, in 1966. He wrote another 82 books by 1985, with Kane surviving General Custer's last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
, fighting alongside Pancho Villa
in the Mexican Revolution
and encountering Billy the Kid
, the Dalton Brothers, Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid, Teddy Roosevelt and many other figures of the era.
In an interview with Daily Variety, Wiik explained the power that the Kane series has had since it was published.
"The Morgan Kane stories stand out because they had such great characters and kinetic action scenes that were something out of a James Bond
film," said Wiik. "Kane was the ultimate anti-hero who played by his own rules; he was a gunslinger who used martial arts to kill when he ran out of bullets, and was a borderline sociopath. His creator Masterson was a rogue author who reimagined the Western novel the way Stieg Larsson
transformed the mystery genre."
Daily Variety noted that Wiik and his production company, which is funded by a consortium of Norwegian investors, planned to commence shooting in late 2011 in either New Mexico
or Texas
.
Timber Falls
Timber Falls is a 2007 horror-thriller film with elements of a slasher film directed by Tony Giglio, it stars Josh Randall and Brianna Brown.It is a R-Rated film for strong bloody horror violence, torture, language and some sexuality.- Plot :...
, directed by Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio is an American film director from Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.-Director:...
. In 2011, the entertainment trade paper Daily Variety reported that Wiik’s WR Films had acquired the motion picture rights to all 83 books in the best-selling Morgan Kane
Morgan Kane
Morgan Kane is a fictional character created by Kjell Hallbing under the pseudonym Louis Masterson.The Morgan Kane series has become the biggest success in modern Norwegian leisure reading literature...
series by author Louis Masterson.
Acting career
While living in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Wiik became friends with Norwegian Producer Knut Steen Rakner and British Producer Darryn Welch, who encouraged him to get in front of the camera for acting roles and television commercials. From the first take, it was evident that Ryan was a natural, and comfortable in front of the camera. In 2003, Wiik had a supporting role in the British/Spanish feature film Oh Marbella!, although his scenes were deleted from the theatrical version.
In late summer of 2005, Wiik was among the final contestants for Norway’s talent search Filmstjerne (meaning: Movie Star
Movie Star
Movie Star, Inc. is a New York City-based manufacturer, marketer and seller of lingerie, sleepwear and other types of clothing. Organized in 1935 and formerly known as Sanmark Stardust, Inc., the company became Movie Star, Inc. in 1992. It was acquired by Frederick's of Hollywood in 2006, who sold...
, in Norwegian), where he was eliminated by judges in the last round before the audience voting started.
In the months following Filmstjerne, Wiik produced and helmed the project “A taste of Hollywood” in Norway, an intensive school program to teach and inspire 90 young filmmakers on the reality of moviemaking. On December 17, 2005, Wiik hosted a film festival and red-carpet award show in his home town Drøbak
Drøbak
Drøbak is an unincorporated city and the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Akershus county, Norway. The city is located along the Oslofjord, and has 13,358 inhabitants....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Wiik partnered with Rakner's production company MCM Europe, to produce and star in a slate of short films directed by Christoffer Lunde: Did You Get the Diamond?, Budbilsjåføren, Life in a Flash and The Blacklist. It was his work in these films that would later give Wiik an opportunity to move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, Wiik was cast in a co-starring role in Timber Falls
Timber Falls
Timber Falls is a 2007 horror-thriller film with elements of a slasher film directed by Tony Giglio, it stars Josh Randall and Brianna Brown.It is a R-Rated film for strong bloody horror violence, torture, language and some sexuality.- Plot :...
, directed by Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio is an American film director from Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.-Director:...
. Wiik later received an “Artist of Extraordinary Ability Visa” O-1 visa
O-1 Visa
An O visa is a classification of non-immigrant temporary worker visa granted by the United States to aliens "who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
WR Films
Because of his experience in producing films in Europe, Wiik was able to form his own Los Angeles-based production company,WR Films Entertainment Group. Wiik's partners in the company include industry veterans James CardwellJames Cardwell
Jim Cardwell served as the President, from 2002–2005, of Warner Home Video , the world's largest home video distribution company ....
, former President of Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
, Alan E. Bell
Alan E. Bell
Alan E. Bell has worked for many years for notable companies such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Studios and IBM.His most recent position was as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Paramount Pictures....
, former Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, Duane M. Eberlein
Duane M. Eberlein
Duane Milton Eberlein is a notable Certified Public Accountant in California who has served as principal financial or accounting officer for four public companies over the past 30 years. Since 1998, Eberlein has served as a member of the board of directors and chief financial officer for...
, former Chief Financial Officer of Caesars World
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
, and John Michaels, former President of Production for Magnet Media Group and VIP Media Funds USA.
On May 9, 2011, the trade magazine Daily Variety broke a story that WR Films had acquired the motion picture rights to all 83 novels in the best-selling Morgan Kane series, which has sold more than 20 million books to date.
Writing under the pen name of Louis Masterson, late Norwegian author Kjell Hallbing
Kjell Hallbing
Kjell Hallbing was a Norwegian author of Western books.Under the pseudonym Louis Masterson, he wrote a series of books about the fictitious Texas Ranger Morgan Kane during 1966-1978...
began reinventing the Western genre for European readers when he wrote "Without Mercy," the first entry in the Morgan Kane series, in 1966. He wrote another 82 books by 1985, with Kane surviving General Custer's last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
, fighting alongside Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
in the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
and encountering Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
, the Dalton Brothers, Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
and the Sundance Kid, Teddy Roosevelt and many other figures of the era.
In an interview with Daily Variety, Wiik explained the power that the Kane series has had since it was published.
"The Morgan Kane stories stand out because they had such great characters and kinetic action scenes that were something out of a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film," said Wiik. "Kane was the ultimate anti-hero who played by his own rules; he was a gunslinger who used martial arts to kill when he ran out of bullets, and was a borderline sociopath. His creator Masterson was a rogue author who reimagined the Western novel the way Stieg Larsson
Stieg Larsson
Karl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...
transformed the mystery genre."
Daily Variety noted that Wiik and his production company, which is funded by a consortium of Norwegian investors, planned to commence shooting in late 2011 in either New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
or Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Acting Credits
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Oh Marbella! | Eddie | Feature film (scene cut from final version) |
| 2004 | The Blacklist | John Jessup | Short Film |
| Life in a Flash | Sean | Short Film | |
| 2005 | Filmstjerne | as himself | Talent search - Reality show |
| Budbilsjåføren | Delivery man | Short film (Eng. title: The Courier) | |
| 2006 | Did you get the Diamond? | John | Short film |
| 2007 | Timber Falls Timber Falls Timber Falls is a 2007 horror-thriller film with elements of a slasher film directed by Tony Giglio, it stars Josh Randall and Brianna Brown.It is a R-Rated film for strong bloody horror violence, torture, language and some sexuality.- Plot :... |
James Block | Feature film |
| 2013 | Frank | Ethan Boyd | Development |
| Living the Lie | Marty Johansen | Development |