David Permut

Cast

David Permut is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-nominated, and Grammy-winning producer whose four-decade career spans film, television, and documentary. Widely respected for his range and longevity in a rapidly evolving industry, Permut has produced an eclectic body of work-from genre-defining blockbusters to politically urgent dramas and cultural landmark documentaries-while maintaining a deep commitment to stories with social impact and emotional clarity. His most recent feature, Twinless, will be released in September 2025. Written and directed by James Sweeney (Straight Up), the dark comedy stars Sweeney and Dylan O'Brien as men navigating the surreal experience of twin loss. Produced with Paramount's Republic Pictures, the film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award as well as U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for Dylan O'Brien. Twinless is emblematic of Permut's enduring ability to back emerging filmmakers and emotionally resonant, unconventional stories. Permut is currently in post-production on Being Heumann for Apple, based on the memoir by disability rights icon Judy Heumann. The film is directed by Academy Award winner Siân Heder (CODA) and stars Ruth Madeley, Mark Ruffalo, and Dylan O'Brien. He is also in post-production on The Invite for Annapurna Pictures / FilmNation, directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, with a cast that includes Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. In 2023, Permut executive produced Rustin for Netflix, alongside Barack and Michelle Obama through Higher Ground Productions. Directed by George C. Wolfe, the film tells the story of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, the architect of the 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. Rustin received critical acclaim and was named one of the Top 10 Films of the Year by the National Board of Review. The film earned Colman Domingo an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, as well as nominations from the BAFTAs, SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes, cementing its place as one of the most honored films of the year. That same year, Permut served as executive producer on Lawmen: Bass Reeves, a Western limited series created by Chad Feehan and produced in association with Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone). Starring David Oyelowo as the legendary U.S. Marshal, the series premiered to record-breaking viewership on Paramount+. Oyelowo's performance earned both SAG and Golden Globe nominations, and the series was widely praised for expanding the scope of the Western genre with historical authenticity and contemporary relevance. In 2016, Permut produced Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield as World War II medic Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who served without carrying a weapon. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and grossed over $180 million worldwide. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. It also received three Golden Globe nominations, a Producers Guild of America nomination for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award, and was named one of the National Board of Review's Top 10 Films of the Year. Permut's early credits helped shape entire genres. He produced Face/Off (1997), the internationally acclaimed action film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The film became a cultural phenomenon, earning an Academy Award nomination and securing its status as one of the most iconic action films of the modern era. A sequel is currently in development at Paramount. His producing career began with Give 'em Hell, Harry! (1975), a filmed stage play starring James Whitmore as President Harry Truman. The film earned Whitmore an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and won Permut a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album - an exceptional early achievement. He followed with Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), the first feature-length stand-up comedy film ever released theatrically. The film grossed over $30 million and remains one of the most influential comedy specials of all time, frequently cited by Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and comedians across generations. Over the years, Permut has built a dynamic filmography that includes Dragnet (1987) with Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks; Blind Date (1987), marking Bruce Willis's feature debut; The Marrying Man (1991), written by Neil Simon and starring Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger; and Captain Ron (1992) with Kurt Russell and Martin Short. He went on to produce Consenting Adults (1992), directed by Alan Pakula; Charlie Bartlett (2007) with Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr.; Youth in Revolt (2009) starring Michael Cera; and a number of acclaimed independent films, including The Polka King (Netflix, Sundance), Match (IFC, Tribeca), Struck by Lightning, and Punching Henry (SXSW). In the documentary space, Permut has produced several award-winning projects, including The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (Disney), co-produced with Ben Stiller; Visible: Out on Television (Apple), a five-part series tracing LGBTQ+ representation on TV through six decades of political and cultural change; and The Fabulous Allan Carr, chronicling the life of the flamboyant producer behind Grease and the 1989 Oscars. In 2019, he produced The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts, a live stage production of the Mueller Report directed by Scott Ellis and performed in New York with a cast including John Lithgow, Annette Bening, Michael Shannon, Kevin Kline, and Zachary Quinto. The piece was streamed live, turning dense political documentation into urgent public performance - a testament to Permut's belief in storytelling as civic action. Permut's television work has also garnered critical and cultural recognition. He produced Prayers for Bobby (Lifetime), starring Sigourney Weaver in her television debut. The film received nominations from the Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, and Satellite Awards, and won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Miniseries. It is still regarded as one of Lifetime's most impactful and enduring original films. Additional TV credits include Love Leads the Way (ABC), A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story (CBS), Breaking the Silence (CBS), and The Color of Rain (Hallmark). Across every format, genre, and generation, David Permut's work is marked by precision, purpose, and an instinct for timeless stories.