Riza Aziz Biography

Riza Aziz (born Riza Shahriz Bin Abdul Aziz) is film producer, and co-founder and chairman of Red Granite Pictures, a Los Angeles-based film production company.

Career

Riza holds a BS degree in Government & Economics and an MS in Politics from the London School of Economics. He is also a registered authorized person with the UK Financial Services Authority.

In 2010, with producing partner Joey McFarland, Aziz co-founded Red Granite Pictures, an American film finance, development, production and distribution company. Aziz serves as both a producer and Chairman for the independent company and started its slate with the hit romantic comedy, Friends with Kids Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, Friends With Kids also stars John Hamm, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd.

In 2012, following the success of Friends With Kids, Aziz went on to executive produce the dramatic thriller, Out of the Furnace, starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Forest Whitaker. Scott Cooper of Crazy Heart directed the feature which was released on December 6, 2013. Aziz followed up Out of the Furnace with the highly anticipated film The Wolf of Wall Street. The Wolf of Wall Street is based upon Jordan Belfort's best-selling novel of the same name and was adapted into a screenplay by Terence Winter. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, and was directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was released on December 25, 2013. The film is banned in his native country, Malaysia. The Wolf of Wall Street has achieved tremendous box office success and critical acclaim - including a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy for star Leonardo DiCaprio and five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

Also in 2013, Aziz completed production on Horns, a supernatural thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple and directed by Alexandre Aja. The film is based on the best-selling novel by Joe Hill and was released in 2014 by Dimension-RADiUS. Aziz is also a producer on the sequel Dumb and Dumber To, directed by Pete and Bobby Farrelly. The film features Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprising their roles, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, and was released on November 14, 2014 by Universal Pictures and opened number one at the box office. Paramount Pictures and Aziz's production company Red Granite Pictures in association with Gary Sanchez Productions are currently in production on the Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg comedy Daddy's Home. Red Granite Pictures will co-produce and co-finance the film, which Paramount Pictures will distribute worldwide. Aziz's development slate includes The Brigands of Rattleborge and The General. The Brigands of Rattleborge, blacklist's number 1 script of 2006, is a western revenge story and The General is a gritty look at the story of George Washington.

In 2011, Variety named Aziz to their list of Top 10 Producers to Watch.

Personal life

Riza Aziz is stepson of the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak. As of September 2015 the US Department of Justice was investigating property transactions carried out by Aziz, related to his step-father's role in the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia.

Filmography

Year	Film	Director	Other notes
2014	Daddy's Home (film)	Sean Anders and John Morris
2014	Dumb and Dumber To	Peter and Bobby Farrelly
2014	Horns	Alexandre Aja
2013	The Wolf of Wall Street	Martin Scorsese	December 25, 2013
2013	Out of the Furnace	Scott Cooper	December 6, 2013
2012	Friends With Kids	Jennifer Westfeldt	March 16, 2012
2012	Children Rise	Billy Raftery