Willard Wyler

"Once the shining star of horror, Willard Wyler's crafted the most captivating films that hypnotized audiences and left them begging for more... blood. Years ago, the genius director slowly retreated into obscurity; never to be seen again. Or so everyone thought... Now he's back — ready to deliver thrills, chills, style, a gripping story — and of course, a body count!"

- Official Biography

Willard Wyler is a character in the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies mode, serving as the main antagonist.

Backstory
Willard Wyler had been directing films for over 40 years before the events of the Zombies game mode. Willard Wyler previously wrote and directed two films, Disco Devil and Nightmare Summer released on June 13, 1975 and April 13, 1979 respectively. At some point, Wyler married a woman named Alexandra, and they had a daughter, Winona Lee Wyler. Tragically, Alexandra dies of cancer when Winona is only six years old. When Winona is an adult, she falls in love with Matthew Mason. Willard doesn't approve of the relationship, but lets Matthew marry her on the condition that he hyphenate his last name with Wyler's, so that his grandchildren can continue his legacy. Sometime after Winona and Matthew are married, Willard's film company starts to go under. He refuses to sell it to anyone else, so Winona decides to go her own way and start her own film company with Matthew. When Winona tells her father, he is furious, accusing her and Matthew of betraying him. He then transports the two into his film, Rave in the Redwoods, where they are killed by the Slasher. By equipping Memory Charms in Rave in the Redwoods, it is revealed that Wyler apparently sold his soul to the Devil, explaining how he is able to transport people into his films, including David Hasselhoff, Kevin Smith, and the four actors.

Events of Zombies
In the intro of Zombies in Spaceland, Wyler invites four actors (Andre, Sally, Poindexter and A.J.) to his theater, where he explains they will play a part in his return to the big screen, telling them of the first scene of his movie called Zombies in Spaceland. After leaving the viewing room and manically laughing, Wyler enters the projector room, where he approaches a ritual circle. He then uses a Malice dagger to cut open his left hand, causing his blood to spill onto the ritual circle with pictures of the four actors on it, causing the four actors to be sucked into the movie.

However, the four manage to ruin Wyler's plan and they manage to escape the film with one of the fragmented pieces of the Soul Key. Angered by this, Wyler sends the four to another one of his movies, known as Rave in the Redwoods. However, they manage to obtain another piece of the Soul Key from within the movie.

Films
"In Willard Wyler’s DISCO DEVIL, a young demon from the underworld is cast out for his love of disco dance music. When he attempts to rock the dance floor, he’s met with an otherworldly resistance that brings down the house. Written and directed by Willard Wyler. Released June 13, 1975."

- Synopsis

"Four high school friends ditched class and found a secluded beach off the beaten path to throw a wild party. Little did they know... something sinister was lurking under the sand beneath their feet. NIGHTMARE SUMMER: Written and directed by Willard Wyler. Released April 13, 1979."

- Synopsis

Trivia

 * Both of his films were released on a Friday 13th - a hint to his devilish acts, as Friday 13th is considered to be a day of bad luck - or even death - in western cultures.
 * According to Lee Ross, Wyler's character is mainly based off of real-life German director William Wyler, as well as other directors including Alfred Hitchcock and John Waters.