Matt Lieberman

Biography

Matt Lieberman is an American screenwriter and producer who has carved out a niche as the industry’s go-to architect for high-concept family adventures and IP adaptations. A graduate of NYU’s film program, he broke into the mainstream by selling massive spec scripts—a rarity in modern Hollywood, including the concept that became the Ryan Reynolds hit Free Guy. In early 2026, Lieberman is celebrating the massive success of "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants". Released theatrically in December 2025 and dominating the family box office into 2026, the film sees Lieberman (alongside co-writer Pam Brady) taking the franchise into the "Underworld" for a ghost-pirate adventure featuring the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill). Critics praised the script for balancing the show's classic surrealism with the emotional stakes required for a theatrical feature. Lieberman is currently active in the development of "Free Guy 2". Following the global success of the 2021 original, updates in late 2025 confirmed that the sequel script, expanding on the concept of AI gaining sentience within a gaming world, is a priority for 20th Century Studios. He is also attached to several high-profile spec projects, including "Meet the Machines" (Lionsgate) and a reimagining of "Short Circuit". His portfolio includes launching Netflix’s holiday franchise "The Christmas Chronicles" (2018) and its sequel (2020), as well as writing the animated hits "The Addams Family" (2019) and "Scoob!" (2020), solidifying his status as a key player in modern animation.